What's new in Nashville's neighborhoods
Plus, a council member’s $90,000 punishment and two restaurant scores in the 70s
Good morning, Nashville! And happy Friday! It’s August 14th. Thank you to the nearly 500 people who signed up for nash.news in its first week. I deeply appreciate your support after I took the leap into independent journalism.
A note about Friday editions: you’ll get a roundup of neighborhood updates, time-sensitive headlines, weekend events, and the latest restaurant inspections, but the Friday format is briefer so I can use what’s typically a slower part of the week to research stories for next week.
⚡ Quick hits
Weather: ☀️ Heat advisory through Sunday. High: 100 with heat index around 111. Low: 77.
What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods: getting a greenway back on track, two restaurant scores in the 70s, transforming 200 acres of woods, and multiple apartment projects.
Plus: a judge orders a Metro Council member to pay more than $90,000
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🏠 What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods
South Nashville
Getting a greenway back on track: A Metro Parks official said he expects an expansion to Seven Mile Creek Greenway to be funded in the next capital plan, which should happen by next summer. The project was first approved three years ago, and was supposed to be paid for with COVID-era federal stimulus money, but a South Nashville resident claimed Metro Parks “dropped the ball” with “self-inflicted issues,” including utility conflicts. The project got so delayed it was no longer eligible to use the federal funding.
A health inspector noted an “inoperable” staff restroom and an “unusable” handwashing sink, which was later fixed, at Kouzina Cafe at 5300 Nolensville Road. The restaurant received a 70 on its inspection. You can read it here.
Downtown(ish)
City Winery at 609 Lafayette Street received a 71 in its latest health inspection. The report mentions moldy peppers and lemons, raw tuna stored above peaches in a cooler, “and hummus and spicy feta with prep date of 7-25” despite the inspection happening on August 12. Full inspection here.
Rivergate
Affordable apartments: a developer expects to break ground on a 221-unit affordable apartment complex on Liberty Lane in December or January. It’ll be restricted to households that make 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), which is a bit less than $70,000 for a family of four.
Trinity Hills
Transforming 200 acres of woods near Whites Creek Pike and Revels Drive: “The plan includes a farmers market, community garden, amphitheater, playground, skate park, open-air pavilions, paved and unpaved walking trails, and a scenic overlook at one of the highest points north of downtown Nashville,” along with a commercial component, according to a developer’s new filing with Metro. Here’s a link.
Hermitage
More apartments and retail: a developer filed final plans for 226 apartments and retail space along Central Pike at Lakeside Place. The project will be wedged between an existing single-family home neighborhood and some townhomes.
Berry Hill & 12 South
Construction on a greenway link between Sevier Park and Browns Creek Park is expected to start in about a year.
📰 A few final headlines…
“Tennessee Executes Darrell Hines for 1985 Murder of Catherine Jean Jackson Jenkins,” despite concerns about the state’s execution protocol following an aborted execution earlier this year. (Nashville Banner)
A judge ordered Metro Council Member Joy Kimbrough to pay more than $90,000 in sanctions and legal fees after she filed a $40 million defamation lawsuit against business Ryan Moses. He accused her in an ethics complaint last year of demanding $500,000 for a fund she would oversee in exchange for her support of his development plan. Metro’s ethics board dismissed the complaint in Kimbrough’s favor, but a judge said Moses’ actions were not defamatory. (Filing here)
Despite a July 31 deadline, State Senator Charlane Oliver said the lieutenant governor never responded to her attorneys’ letter, which claims her punishment for protesting on her desk during the redistricting special session is illegal. “This letter isn't about me or a decorum dispute. It's about the constitutional right of a legislator to dissent and what happens to any dissenting member who insists on being heard,” Oliver said. You can read her Substack post here. A spokesperson for the lieutenant governor told the Williamson Scene the punishment was “measured, appropriate and entirely legal.”
🗓️ Weekend events
Friday
Full Moon Pickin’ Party at Warner Parks - 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. - $25 - “live bluegrass, local food trucks, cold brews, and more”
Movie night at the Fairgrounds Speedway - doors open at 5 p.m., the movie “Cars” starts at 8 p.m. - FREE!
Saturday
Community clean-up and bulk-item event at Antioch High School - 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. - FREE!
Watermelon Festival at Nashville Farmers’ Market - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - FREE!
Black Arts Bash at Cheekwood - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - $20 for adults, free for kids
And… it’s opening weekend of the Tennessee State Fair in Wilson County.
🍔 MAP: click here for restaurant inspections across Nashville
Thank you for reading nash.news! Just reply to this email if you have a correction, story idea, concerns about my coverage, or anything else. You can also email me at ryan@nash.news. I’ll be back in your inbox on Monday! - Ryan