PRESENTED BY
Happy Wednesday, Nashville! It’s October 7. Lots of updates from Nashville’s neighborhoods, including a ruling on the data center planned next to the Nashville Zoo, a delay for “No Right on Red,” a new way to pay for growth, and what’s next after a popular restaurant closed following a big property tax bill.
☀️ Weather
A tropical system could bring a few inches of rain to Nashville this weekend “and a couple breezy days,” the National Weather Service said. More sunshine today. High: 86, Low: 57.
💰 Nashville home values stall
I was surprised to see this data point from Zillow yesterday: the typical home value in the Nashville metropolitan area dropped half a percent to about $450,000 in the past month. That drop matches a national trend. “Sky-high mortgage rates and the usual fall slowdown teamed up to chill housing activity,” Zillow said.
That made me wonder what’s ahead, so I pulled Zillow’s forecast for 25 zip codes in Nashville. It shows home values dropping slightly in 18 zip codes by next August — a much different story than the rapid rise in prices during the pandemic. Here’s a map of the changes.
The top zip codes for decreases: 37208 (Germantown/North Nashville) -0.4%, 37216 (Inglewood) -0.3%, 37209 (Sylvan Park/The Nations) -0.3%, 37207 (Dickerson Pike) -0.3%, and 37189 (Whites Creek) -0.3%.
The top zip codes for increases: 37215 (Green Hills) +0.5%, 37204 (12 South/Berry Hill) +0.3%, 37205 (Belle Meade/West Meade) +0.3%, 37220 (Oak Hill) +0.3%.
You can see the full list of zip codes here.
Bottom line: Zillow’s data suggests a cooling market, not a huge correction. Zillow said “it's not out of the question that [mortgage] rates will decline as rapidly as they rose, which would bring both buyers and sellers back to the market.”
PRESENTED BY MEMBERS HEALTH CO
Stop paying for multiple subscriptions
Members Health Co is a smarter option for all-in-one health: primary care, hormones, IVs, Botox, massage, mental health, personalized optimization, same-day imaging, preventive bloodwork, urgent care, and more.
All of it is overseen by your personal board-certified provider, who knows your whole picture. Click here for a complimentary consultation at Members Health Co.
🏠 What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods
South Nashville
Data center ruling: A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from the company that wants to build a data center next to the Nashville Zoo. DC Blox wanted the court to intervene after the Metro Council paused moving forward with new data centers until December and implemented new zoning restrictions for where data centers can be built. The judge didn’t decide whether Metro’s new restrictions were legal. He said many of the claims were better suited for state court, while giving DC Blox 21 days to clarify and refile several others. The judge dismissed outright the claim that Metro treated another data center company differently. DC Blox may believe it “received a raw deal from (or was sandbagged by)” Metro’s moratorium, the judge wrote, but it must give facts that “plausibly suggest actual entitlement to relief.”
Downtown (and nearby)
Delay for “No Right on Red”: After Metro Council member Jacob Kupin attempted to further scale back a proposal to ban right turns at some red lights in Nashville, the Metro Council delayed voting on the legislation until later this month. The original bill would’ve impacted hundreds of intersections across Nashville in an attempt to reduce pedestrian deaths. The sponsor scaled it back to 59 intersections, which I mapped here, after pushback from fellow council members. Kupin wanted to cut the list even further to 18, but he upset some council members by not running his idea through the typical approval process.
Rivergate
Growth paying for growth: The redevelopment of the Rivergate Mall property is the first in Nashville to take advantage of a new state law after approval from the Metro Council last night. It essentially allows infrastructure for the project to be paid for by a special assessment on property owners in the development. Metro Council member Burkley Allen said it’s like a mortgage but for infrastructure. I reported last month that the developer said someone in the commercial spaces could pay $750 per month while townhome owners could pay about $90 per month. Demolition on the property is expected to wrap up next month with vertical construction beginning early next year.
East Nashville
What’s replacing Pelican & Pig: Before Pelican & Pig at 1010 Gallatin Avenue suddenly closed earlier this year, the owner told WZTV that a sharp rise in its property tax bill “just took our knees out.” Now we know what’s next for the property. A building permit application indicates a new restaurant called Black Dynasty is moving in. There’s a ramen restaurant already in East Nashville that goes by the same name. I reached out to ask whether they’re moving into the space.
Heading to court: The Metro Codes complaint database has nearly 40 entries for a commercial building at 2828 Gallatin Pike, and enforcement escalated this week. An inspector flagged graffiti, high grass, and junk on the property in August. That apparently hasn’t been addressed to the satisfaction of Codes, because the inspector issued a citation. A judge could order cleanup and issue a fine.
Bellevue
What’s next for old amusement property: A demolition crew could soon be heading to the former Europa Go-Karts & Golf site at 621 Old Hickory Boulevard, according to a new permit application. Developers already applied for permission to build a self-storage facility on the property. You can see the plans here.
Wedgewood-Houston
Weather challenges for the Nashville Fair: A manager wasn’t ready to share attendance numbers for last month’s fair, but he indicated rain on the first two days followed by more than a week of extreme heat didn’t help. Asked by a Metro Fair Board member about possibly moving the fair to a cooler month, the manager said it’s hard to do that because of other contractual obligations and the flea market. Also, fair companies have typically moved farther south by October.
Donelson
Original Captain D’s closes: The restaurant’s first location at 2633 Lebanon Pike has closed, WKRN reported. The company’s corporate office didn’t immediately respond to the TV station, but Captain D’s website says both “temporarily closed” and “permanently closed” on its Donelson listing. While researching this story, I saw multiple social media posts from people in neighboring states reporting recent closures. The Mt. Juliet location has also closed. Asked whether a memorial for two restaurant employees murdered by a serial killer would remain on the property, Metro Council member Jeff Gregg indicated that he didn’t know.
Hermitage
Addressing water main breaks: Metro Council members Erin Evans and Jordan Huffman will hold a community meeting tonight at the Metro Police Hermitage precinct from 6:15 p.m. until about 7:30 p.m. Metro Water will give a presentation on water main breaks (there have been more than 20 in the area this year), flooding in late July, and development, Evans said. The department will also answer questions.
Antioch
Action after complaint to hubNashville: Someone claimed to Metro that a “towing service/car” business was operating out of a home on Ravine Drive with tow trucks bringing broken cars to the home, and then repairs being made in the backyard. Metro Codes told the property owner to address a “tow truck violation.” Here’s the link to submit a codes complaint for your neighborhood.
Cane Ridge
Community meeting tonight: Back in April, developers showed their plans to build more than 100 homes in a new “active adult” community at 1010 Battle Road. Metro Council member Antoinette Lee will host a virtual community meeting on the project from 6 to 7 p.m. tonight. She didn’t respond to my text message asking for any updates on the project. You can find a link to the meeting here.
📰 A few final headlines…
Monitoring today: After attorneys for convicted killer Christa Pike said yesterday she’s awake and talking following a failed execution, they will be in court today. They want a Nashville judge to order the state to “protect and preserve any and all evidence” related to the execution.
Nashville childhood vaccination rates improve: Kindergartner vaccination rates in Tennessee have mostly declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data presented by a Metro Health Department official. Davidson County, however, has been “on sort of an upward trajectory,” the official said. He noted the data, which runs through early 2025, is incomplete because some vaccines don’t require reporting, parents can also opt out of reporting, and some providers don’t report to the state database used. He said the data can give a look at trends over time.
More Southwest Airlines flights: The airline announced new summer service between Nashville and Boise, Idaho; Nassau, Bahamas; and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. You can read its full announcement here. More: my reporting on a rise in ground stops and ground delays at BNA + how the airport has used Flock surveillance data.
Poll results: I asked nash.news readers how they’d rate Nashville’s data center rules. 26% of respondents said they’re too strict. 61% said they’re not strict enough. 13% said the rules are just right.
🍔 MAP: click here for restaurant inspections across Nashville. And here’s a list version.
Correction, feedback, question? Just reply to this email or email me directly at ryan@nash.news. Talk to you tomorrow! —Ryan