Good morning, Nashville! It’s Tuesday, September 15th. New in Nashville’s neighborhoods: results of a neighborhood’s codes audit, road work starting today, a 68 restaurant health score, and protecting crayfish.
⚡ Top stories
☀️ Weather
Heat advisory! High: 100 with a heat index as high as 108, Low: 77.
⚠️ Tightening solicitor restrictions in Nashville
A new bill would cut the hours when solicitors can knock on your door and strengthen consequences for those who violate Nashville’s “No Knock Registry.”
Metro Council member Jordan Huffman tells me he filed the legislation after working with Metro Codes for 18 months. If it passes, the codes department would be allowed to help with enforcement. Right now, that’s the Metro Clerk’s Office’s job, and it admitted to WKRN last year its resources are too small to have much enforcement or investigative capabilities.
Another issue Huffman told me he wants to address is solicitors going to homes after dark. One risk I didn’t think about until our conversation: he mentioned thieves posing as solicitors after dark so they can find homes to break into.
His proposal would allow solicitors to work from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during daylight saving time and 10 a.m. to sunset during standard time. Currently, a solicitor can start knocking on doors at sunrise and go till sunset or 7 p.m., whichever is later.
The legislation also sets a pathway for repeat offenders of the “No Knock Registry” to have their solicitation permit revoked, and it clarifies that the company behind the solicitor can be punished with $50 fines (the maximum allowed under state law) and permit revocation or suspension.
The Metro Council is set to have the first of three votes on the legislation tonight.
Here’s a link to Nashville’s “No Knock Registry” if you want to sign up. And here’s a link to the legislation, which includes even more changes beyond what I reported.
🏠 What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods
Antioch
Results of codes audit: Metro Council member Tasha Ellis said a codes audit of her district is nearly complete. She essentially asked Metro Codes to look for junk in yards, abandoned cars, and other issues instead of waiting on people to report it. In the Castlegate neighborhood alone, she said inspectors found 166 violations in under two weeks. I reported last month on where inspectors found the most violations. In her newsletter, Ellis explains “where the system gets stuck” with holding property owners accountable, how you can get help if your property is flagged, and how you can help address problems in your neighborhood.
West Nashville
68 restaurant score: The health inspector who visited Waldo’s Chicken and Beer at 6400 Charlotte Pike flagged “multiple critical violations,” including food temperature issues. You can read the full inspection here, and I link to all of the restaurant inspections at the end of the newsletter.
Near Lenox Village & Cane Ridge
New restaurant: Buffalo Wild Wings GO plans to open its takeout concept in the Kroger shopping center at 6688 Nolensville Pike, based on a new building permit application.
Bellevue
Road work starting today: I told nash.news readers this was coming last week, and here’s a reminder. Construction to raise a section of Coley Davis Road near the controversial Ariza apartment development will start today, the developer said in a statement shared by Metro Council member Sheri Weiner. Temporary lanes will need to be installed for the elevation work, according to the developer, but two-way traffic will stay open at all times. “One side of the roadway will be elevated at a time. This will require multiple phases using different traffic control alignments,” the developer said.
Near Hermitage
New Italian market and deli: Nonna Notti plans to open on October 1. It’ll replace the former Panini Bread Cafe at 557 Stewarts Ferry Pike. Metro Council member Erin Evans shared this brief profile of the restaurant’s owner and how he hopes to help people. You can check out the restaurant’s menu here.
South Nashville
Protecting crayfish: Did you know the federally endangered Nashville crayfish is only found around Mill Creek and its tributaries? The Nashville Zoo said in a new video that its crayfish population has remained “remarkably stable” over the past decade despite rapid development. This video shows what the zoo does to track the crayfish and how you can help protect them.
Rivergate
Halloween store coming soon: Halloween Express received a building permit to open a location at the former Sam Ash store at 1647 Gallatin Pike North. I did not find an opening date on the company’s website.
East Nashville
New coffee shop location: A building permit application indicates Subliminal Coffee will open at 935 East Trinity Lane. They’re currently operating in the lobby of a wellness studio on Main Street. I’m in touch with the owners on Instagram, and I hope to have an official update about their plans soon!
📰 A few final headlines…
New home construction boom “running out of steam”: Permits for new homes in the Nashville metropolitan area (that includes counties surrounding Nashville) decreased 14.6% since last year, according to new research from Zillow. That’s a much sharper drop than the national decrease of 1.7%. “The housing shortage that drove the building boom is still very much intact. The concern is that when conditions improve and buyers return, the thinner pipeline could mean a tighter market that drives up prices,” Kara Ng, a senior economist at Zillow, said. Nashville’s median home sales price in August increased about $10,000 from last year, data from Greater Nashville Realtors said, to about $515,000.
Organizing against ICE call center: The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition is organizing people to “pack Metro Council” tonight and speak against ICE’s proposed call center in Donelson near the airport. I’m not aware of any input Metro Council would have in ICE’s plans, but TIRRC said it wants to send a message that “we do not want this for our communities and home here in Nashville or the state of Tennessee.” When I asked a spokesperson for the Nashville mayor’s office yesterday whether they’d heard any updates on the call center, they replied “not that I’m aware of.” WKRN reported earlier this month that jobs had been posted for the call center.
What I’m monitoring tonight at the Metro Council: A vote scheduled for legislation that would limit right turns at red lights in some Nashville intersections after a rise in pedestrian deaths.
Poll results: And speaking of “no right on red,” I asked nash.news readers yesterday whether they support any new restrictions on right turns at red lights in Nashville. 78% of respondents said no.
🧠 Today’s quiz: Higher or lower
Test your memory of yesterday’s newsletter.
Reports of auto thefts in Nashville have fallen by:
Less than 10%
About 20%
More than 30%
🍔 MAP: click here for restaurant inspections across Nashville
Correction, feedback, question? Just reply to this email or email me directly at ryan@nash.news. Talk to you tomorrow! —Ryan