Urgent! Protect Riverside Village's Neighborhood Character & Sense of Community From Over Development

Developers are at it again, hoping we won't notice or speak out this time. This is their 3rd proposal to rezone and change our set community plan so they can cut down a bunch of mature trees, build a massive apartment complex with six 2 & 3 story buildings packed with cars and parking lots, and replace our beloved Fond Object with a loud motorcycle repair shop/showroom/pizza restaurant, and bulldoze  Fond Object's backyard concert house for more parking lots. All of this would be happening right in the heart of Riverside Village.  

Please attend the public hearing 12/13 they don't want you to know about & email concerns to city representatives below. Demand that developers respect our zoning laws and community plan by not changing them for this sort of development!

Historic Inglewood's Riverside Village is a distinct small community of single-family homes with a rich canopy of mature trees, gardens, and the historic memorial Riverside Drive. Riverside Village is also home to a culture of music and art. The special character and feel of our neighborhood should be protected from this kind of large scale, intrusive development. Such a project would bring too much traffic, congestion, and noise to the neighborhood. This added congestion would add to the already dangerous busy streets that have many cyclists and pedestrians with strollers sharing the roads that have no sidewalks.

As residents of East Nashville and Riverside Village, we need to prevent this sort of development from ruining our sense of community, our safety, and our livelihood.

The developer's plan includes:

SIX 2 AND 3 STORY APARTMENT BUILDINGS WITH 33 UNITS, an amenities building, several parking lots, dumpsters, walkways, driveways, and bright lights right up against the surrounding neighbor's homes. All these cars would be entering, exiting, and making U-turns through Riverside Drive, an already very busy and dangerous intersection with 2 one-way lanes divided by a grassy median and cherry trees. The sketched plan shows that the majority of the lots would be covered with buildings, cars, and asphalt with very little or no buffer for neighbors. This means that almost all of the 45+ mature trees (ranging from 50-80' tall) that currently provide a buffer for the neighborhood from the commercial district and the busy streets would be cut down.

REPLACE FOND OBJECT WITH A LOUD MOTORCYBLE REPAIR SHOP/SHOWROOM/PIZZA RESTAURANT. The closing of Fond Object, which has been the cultural heart of the community, replaced by a repeated pizza concept would be a huge loss for the Village. The backyard house where Fond Object offers live music, bonfires, movies, and yoga would be demolished and turned into another parking lot. The motorcycle themed restaurant/repair shop will undoubtedly attract a loud biker scene to our neighborhood disturbing the peace and well being of residents all around the neighborhood. Motorcycle noise, pollution, and traffic will also decease walkability and our safety.

Motorcycle repair shops & apartment buildings ARE NOT permitted under the current zoning at Riverside Village and the surrounding lots. These zoning changes are not appropriate for the character, safety, and livelihood of our community given the incredibly close proximity of single-family residences in a historic neighborhood and the insufficient infrastructure to support these changes.

What can we do? 

• Sign this petition. If you live in the neighborhood, mention this in your comment.
• Go to the public hearing on 12/13 & speak out or carry a sign so they know your stance.
• Email your street address to: saveriversidevillage@gmail.com to be added to a map of residents opposed to this zoning change and shared with Council, Planning, and the Mayor's office. 

• Voice or email concerns to all of the following people (reference case #'s 2017CP-005-003 & 2017SP-013-001):

anthony.davis@nashville.gov(615) 775-8746, councilmember who will approve or deny these requested zoning changes. 

anna.grider@nashville.gov(615) 862-7199, hears plan amendment concerns or questions to relay to planning commissioners.

shawn.shepard@nashville.gov(615) 862-7199, zoning            

planningstaff@nashville.gov (615) 862-7190, they provide info to the planning commissioners.

planning.commissioners@nashville.gov (they decide if the if the community plan will be amended, which is required for this zoning change) 

Meeting Dates/Deadlines:

• Thurs, December 13 - Public Hearing, 4pm, Sonny West Conference Center (1^stfl.), 700 2^ndAve S. (final decision is made after hearing) Please show up and speak out. 

Relavant Links:

Neighbors Pat Sansone of Wilco and Professor Matthew Bond speak out for the neighborhood:

https://www.wkrn.com/news/nashville-2018/inglewood-residents-trying-to-save-neighborhood-from-major-development-proposal/1534577597

Musicians Margo Price, Aaron Lee Tasjan rally to save East Nashville record store:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2018/10/01/fond-object-records-east-nashville-margo-price-aaron-lee-tasjan/1491544002/

Here is a copy of the last community meeting handout on October 1st.

https://www.icloud.com/photos/#04NJO6yEWri0NbeWSH5mVCX-Q