Good morning, Nashville! It’s Wednesday, September 23. New in Nashville’s neighborhoods: construction of a second Wawa gas station, a “repeat” Codes offender heading back to court, and the road that lit up Metro’s complaint line.
⛅ Weather
Cloudy before more sunshine later this week. High: 80, Low: 64.
🏈 Super Bowl time crunch
The new Nissan Stadium is on track to be finished in about five months, but there’s a concern next door, with 1,236 days to go until Nashville hosts the Super Bowl.
“Dallas got the Super Bowl and they bombed, and then they haven’t gotten one since, and we do not want that to happen,” East Bank Development Authority Vice Chair Jimmy Granberry said at yesterday’s meeting. “We want to have multiple Super Bowls in this city, and so the first one is the most important one.”
He laid out the stakes after learning a piece of land next to the new stadium, known as “parcel C,” could be a construction site when the nation’s attention is on Nashville on February 10, 2030. That’s because a planned 600-room hotel, which still doesn’t have a brand attached to it, is currently scheduled to be finished in late summer that year.
He and other members of the authority asked Metro staff to work with the developer to quickly come up with a recommendation to address his concerns, including possibly delaying the hotel project until after the Super Bowl or finding a way to accelerate it so it’s finished in time for the game.
A few more updates around Nissan Stadium:
A mechanical claw will begin tearing down the old stadium in March. Demolition is expected to take six months plus another few months to go through the rubble.
The new stadium is on track to be finished in about five months. A “super flush” — where 400 plumbing fixtures like toilets are flushed at the same time to test the plumbing system — is scheduled for November.
The East Bank Development Authority approved $75 million in funding to extend the Seigenthaler pedestrian bridge by about 750 feet to the new stadium campus.
🏠 What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods
Hermitage
Wawa construction: This gas station with a fan club just received a building permit for a new store at 5360 Old Hickory Boulevard. The Tennessean reported earlier this week that an In-N-Out Burger is expected to open in the same area next year. I reported a few weeks ago that Nashville’s first Wawa is expected to open at Highway 100 and Temple Road in November. And in August, I shared what’s delayed a location in Antioch.
“Repeat offender”: Back to court for the owner of a home on Plantation Drive. It’s the same problem that brought them to court last year, according to a Metro Codes database — parking in the grass. Codes records show this has been escalating for years, starting with an abatement notice. That essentially lets a property owner know there’s a problem and gives them time to fix it. This week, an inspector issued a citation, which is the next level of enforcement. It brings the issue before a judge who can issue fines and order fixes to a property. You can submit a complaint about a property in your neighborhood at hub.nashville.gov.
Old Hickory
Carvana’s plans for Old Hickory: The used car dealer Carvana filed for a building permit on Burnett Road. It already operates a car vending machine near Berry Hill at 4270 Kenilwood Drive. I reached out to Carvana for more information about its plans in Old Hickory. The permit application’s subtype says “Automobile Sales, Used.”
Germantown
14 new townhomes: Compared to other parts of Nashville, new residential developments are rarer here, so this caught my attention. Developers filed for a permit to build 14 new townhomes around 1223 3rd Avenue North. They’ll range between 2,000 and 3,500 square feet each. Here are plans voted on by Metro Council last year when it rezoned the property from industrial uses to allow the project.
Downtown (and nearby)
$5 parking for hospitality workers: Parking Management Company announced a partnership to allow hospitality workers in Downtown Nashville to park in some of their lots for $5 per shift. Some of the parking rates downtown shock me, so I’m sure this will be some welcome relief for the people who keep our tourism industry going. More details here.
Expanding bike lanes: As a biker whose path typically cuts through Demonbreun Street, this is welcome news! NDOT shared plans to extend the Demonbreun Street bike lane on Demonbreun Hill to 7th Avenue. It’ll include bike lane barriers similar to what’s on the hill. Construction is scheduled to be finished next May, according to one of the slides presented by NDOT.
East Nashville
Clean it up: The Subway property at 2420 Gallatin Avenue got a notice from Metro Codes this week to clean up graffiti, junk on the property, and high grass. The inspector is scheduled to return next month.
Berry Hill
Burger restaurant closing: Brothers Burger Joint at 2821 Bransford Avenue announced “with many emotions” it will close after nine years on October 3. You can read their goodbye post here.
Donelson
Construction begins: Work has started on the retail portion of Riverwalk at Mill Creek at 2164 Lebanon Pike, Metro Council member Jeff Gregg said. “The developer is focusing on bringing in local restaurants and businesses to the space,” he wrote. He offered to connect anyone interested with developers.
Former bank becoming… another bank: PNC Bank is moving into the former Synovus Bank location at 3169 Lebanon Pike, according to a new building permit application.
Bellevue
Traffic challenges: One of the first places I look for stories each day is a database of what people are complaining about to hubNashville — essentially the city’s complaint line — and it lit up with roadwork complaints on Coley Davis Road. Construction to raise a section of Coley Davis Road for the controversial Ariza apartment project cut traffic down to one lane, WSMV reports. I reported before construction started that the developer promised to keep two lanes of traffic open at all times. WSMV said NDOT issued a two-day stop work order in response.
Rebuilding after apartment fire: After a fire at the Slate Apartments at 7439 Highway 70 South, a new building permit application has been filed for a replacement apartment building with 12 units.
Madison
61 new homes: Developers filed final plans with Metro to build 61 residential units on nearly four acres at 1017 Pierce Road. The plans look like townhomes. You can see the drawings here.
📰 A few final headlines…
Waymo for teens: The autonomous car company Waymo just announced “teens ages 13-17 can hail fully autonomous Waymo rides across 50 square miles of Nashville when linked to a parent or guardian's account.” Details here. And here’s my reporting on a Metro’s commissioner’s warning that “nobody’s minding the store” with autonomous cars.
$736 million tax bill: A Nashville heiress whose father and grandfather helped co-found HCA is fighting a $736 million tax bill from the IRS, The Wall Street Journal reported in an article titled “The IRS Is Cracking Down on a Favorite Way the Ultrawealthy Pass on Money.” The case revolves around how the family operated a trust. Their attorney told the paper they’ve followed the law.
Parking garage change at BNA: Starting today, exiting Terminal Garage 1 at Nashville International Airport changes. Here’s a video explanation from the airport.
The next “Nashville Nine”: Nominations have opened for Preserve Nashville’s next annual “Nashville Nine” list. It highlights “historic Davidson County properties threatened by demolition, neglect, or inappropriate development.” You can submit nominations with this form through October 5. More: 2025 “Nashville Nine” photo gallery + what’s happened to other highlighted properties. Some have been demolished.
Poll results: I asked nash.news readers whether they support the Metro Police Department’s increase in traffic stops. 81% of respondents said yes.
🧠 Today’s quiz: Rank by number
Test your memory of yesterday’s newsletter. Rank the following from largest to smallest in terms of dollars:
Investment needed for Nashville Sounds stadium over the next 20 years
Vision for Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage
Missing HOA money
🍔 MAP: click here for restaurant inspections across Nashville
Correction, feedback, question? Just reply to this email or email me directly at ryan@nash.news. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow! —Ryan