Welcome to September! It’s Tuesday, September 1st. New in Nashville’s neighborhoods today: an appeal of a quadrupled property tax bill, a petition against flight noise, brush pickup, codes enforcement, and a mobile health clinic.
⚡ Top stories
Weather: ☀️ High: 99, Low: 75. Slightly cooler on Saturday when storm chances return.
ICE in Nashville: the rate of immigration enforcement arrests in Nashville has increased this summer, according to my analysis of new data obtained by the Deportation Data Project. After making between 120 and 140 monthly arrests from February to May, arrests surged to about 190 per month in June and July. The share of people arrested for an immigration violation but with no criminal background is also rising — from an average of about 34% from October through May to 56% from June through early August.
Toll lane investigation: Nashville State Representative John Ray Clemmons asked Tennessee’s Attorney General to investigate “the entire procurement process of the I-24 toll lanes” after the Tennessean reported one of the companies involved in the winning bid hired a former TDOT chief of staff before submitting its proposal. A group of firms called DriveTN agreed to spend $9.2 billion on toll lanes stretching roughly from I-440 to Murfreesboro while paying more than $24 billion in concessions to Tennessee over a 50-year agreement. TDOT told the newspaper that DriveTN had systems in place so the former chief of staff couldn’t be involved with the I-24 project procurement.
Construction and financial jobs slipped in the Nashville metropolitan area over the last year, according to new federal data, but overall, the number of employed people increased 1.6%. Here’s which industries are changing the most in the Nashville area:
Biggest losses year-over-year (percentage): Mining, Logging, and Construction (-2.8%, -1,900 jobs), Financial Activities (-2.7%, -2,200 jobs), Government (-1.7%, -2,000 jobs)
Biggest increases year-over-year (percentage): Leisure and Hospitality (+6.1%, +10,100 jobs), Education and Health Services (+3.0%, +5,400 jobs), Professional and Business Services (+2.7%, +5,200 jobs)
🏠 What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods
Downtown (and nearby)
After its property tax bill more than quadrupled in a year from about $129,000 to $600,000, Acme Feed & Seed’s appeal of its property valuation will be heard today at Metro’s Equalization Board. The property’s assessment, which happens every four years, spiked from about $9.5 million in 2021 to more than $50 million last year, meaning an immediate, massive increase in its tax bill. “No business plan can account for such a punitive increase,” the bar’s owner wrote to the mayor earlier this year. Reviews by the state comptroller’s office and Metro auditors did not raise any serious concerns about property valuations in Davidson County, according to the Nashville Banner.
Hermitage & Donelson
Brush pickup begins this week in much of Hermitage and Donelson. This website explains what can and cannot be put out for collection. It also has a tool to track the collection date for your area and set reminders when brush pickup returns.
After more than 20 water breaks in a year in council district 12, which covers part of Hermitage, Metro Council member Erin Evans just announced that Metro Water Services agreed to join a community meeting to talk about water main breaks, flooding, and development. It’s set for 6:15 p.m. on October 7 at the Metro Police Hermitage Precinct (3701 James Kay Lane).
South Nashville
Nearly 1,000 people have signed a petition asking the FAA to adjust relatively new flight paths to Nashville International Airport. The new paths “have dramatically concentrated flights into a narrow corridor over South Nashville, including Crieve Hall, Oak Hill, Forest Hills, Whispering Hills, Caldwell Abbay Hall, and the Radnor Lake park and wildlife sanctuary,” the petition says. The FAA told WKRN the changes were made to accommodate growth but said it’s “committed to meaningful dialogue with communities.”
Old Hickory
Codes enforcement: Metro Codes told the owners of three homes on Bryan Street to either cut their grass or move vehicles off the grass. Another two businesses on Bridgeway Avenue were told to remove illegal signs.
Antioch
More industrial traffic: Another massive warehouse is coming to Couchville Pike near Bell Road. Developers received a permit to build a 132,600-square-foot warehouse at 2791 Couchville Pike. The construction will cost more than $17 million, the permit said. The warehouse is next to several others off Bell Road.
East Nashville
The Metro Health Department’s mobile clinic will be set up from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Kirkpatrick Community Center. You can read about all of the services they offer here, including vaccinations, birth control, and distribution of Narcan/naloxone, gun locks, and cup covers.
📰 A few final headlines…
A little more than a week after a 16-year-old boy was killed after a football game at Pearl Cohn High School, Metro Police arrested a 15-year-old boy yesterday for bringing a stolen gun to the school. Earlier this month, police said out of 602 guns stolen in Nashville this year, 66% were taken from cars. Police did not say whether that’s the case this time.
Dollyfest in Nashville: Dolly Parton’s estate announced a two-day festival honoring her. It’ll happen in Nashville and London across two consecutive weekends next year, the estate said. The exact dates will be released later. “What Dolly started, we will ensure is brought to life,” said Danny Nozell, founder and CEO of CTK Enterprises. “Many people behind the scenes know that Dollyfest is a dream of Dolly’s that was intended to take place on her 80th birthday in Nashville.” Those plans were postponed after Dolly’s health issues.
What I’m following tonight at the Metro Council: new restrictions on Metro Police using drones are up for a final vote. Police upset some Metro Council members when the department started a “drone as first responder” pilot program that responds to calls before officers — without getting permission from council. The bill has changed since it was first proposed after Metro’s police chief said the original version threatened “the safety of officers and the public.” You can read here what the amended version of the bill would do — and this article explains how police used the drones during a pilot program.
Poll results: The vote isn’t close, but I didn’t expect so many “no” votes. I asked yesterday whether you support renaming BNA in honor of Dolly Parton. 78% of respondents said yes.
🧠 Today’s quiz: Match the Neighborhood
Test your memory of yesterday’s newsletter. Match the following neighborhoods to each story: Downtown, The Nations, Antioch, East Nashville, South Nashville, Madison, Bellevue
A restaurant scored a 73 on its health inspection.
Police are targeting speeders and street racers.
A meat market settled a lawsuit over cooking smoke.
A half-acre property sold for $15 million.
A new kayak launch may be built at a local park.
A hot chicken chain is opening a new spot.
A storm-damaged park is getting $2.5 million in upgrades.
🍔 MAP: click here for restaurant inspections across Nashville
Correction, feedback, question? Just reply to this email or email me directly at ryan@nash.news. Hope you have a great day! -Ryan