Update: Meet David Fox, Sunday, August 30th.

Update in an email from Tim Skow at 3:43 today:

My friends:
In a mere 11 days, we will decide if  we pursue " The Nashville Way" with Mayor David Fox....OR.... if our city will become what Megan Barry envisions...that being... 

"The San Francisco of the South"

Sunday afternoon, you and those you'd care to have join us are welcome to do so at the home of Dr. Ming Wang for the Tennessee Republican Minority Coalition event to support David Fox . Given the growing support for David Fox, we have made ample arrangements for many to join us at the last minute. So plan to join us if your schedule allows. Details are attached.... Valet parking awaits starting your arrival and you're encouraged to invite those you know to join us as well !

Thanks again.. and I hope to see you Sunday afternoon. If you'd interested in becoming a Co-Host... and coming early, feel free to reach me at 615-429-xxxx.

Thanks again !

Tim

Since Tim sent this out as an email to people he knows, I have removed his phone number.  I did not want opponents of David Fox or malicious people to be calling Tim.  I will be checking my email regularly from now until the event. If you would like to co-host or attend, email me at Rodwilliams47@Yahoo.com and I will pass it on.

Please join me Sunday in supporting David Fox's for Mayor. If you would like to co-host the event, you will spend an hour with David from 2pm to 3pm prior to the event. Also, co-host may invite two others to attend as their guest. To attend the event or co-host please RSVP to Tim Skow at tdskow2001@yahoo.com.

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Caffeinated Conservatives continues vetting Metro Council At-Large candidates, Saturday August 29th.

Hi everybody, 

Saturday 29th from 12 pm - 2 pm at Uncommon Grounds in Old Hickory Village (1053 Donelson Ave), join us as we continue vetting our Metro Council At-Large candidates! Three of our guests from last month made the run-off (Jason Holleman, Bob Mendes, and Erin Coleman), but you get to vote for 5, so come meet and question three more of the top vote-getting Metro Council At-Large candidates: Robert Duvall, Karen Bennett, and Sharon Hurt. Come prepared for good coffee, good people, and great conversation!

In related news, David Fox, the only mayoral candidate with the hutzpah to endure two hours of us going after them, made the run-off, and I highly recommend you throw him your vote.
See you there!

Stephen Clements and Terry Torre
Caffeinated Conservatives

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What happened at the August 18th Council meeting: Tax give away to Neighborhood Resource Center passes, DADU text amendment for "RS" withdrawn, ...

... Piedmont Gas land and money give away passes and Mayor Dean addresses the Council. 



I am going to make this short. To see what is on the agenda and what I thought about it and to get your own copy of the agenda and the staff analysis follow this link: What is on the Metro Council Agenda for Aug. 18, 2015: tax giveaway to Neighborhood Resource Center, DADU text amendment, 

This is the last meeting of this Council. When the next council meeting occurs, it will be the newly elected member of the council. No old business can continue over so all bills that were deferred in this term of the Council and not passed are now dead. 

Following the pledge and prayer, Mayor Karl Dean addresses the Council, which is rare. He thanks the Council for their service, pats himself on the back and list some accomplishments and says nothing very important.

Everything on the agenda passes unless except  a few zoning bills that are of local neighborhood interest only and these:
SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2015-1120 which establishes a provision in the zoning text that would permit communities that are zoned "RS" to have detached accessory dwelling unit on those properties, if a DADU overlay is placed on the properties is withdrawn.
 BILL NO. BL2015-1155 would apply a DADU overlay to about 129 acres of "R" zoned property in East Nashville and it is withdrawn.
BILL NO. BL2015-1272 in Councilman Scott Davis's district would apply a DADU overlay to 672 acres. Since 1120 above did not pass, this could not pass since that option is not now available for these properties. 

Below are some explanations and additional observations:

RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1605 is for a paper shredder truck, not a wood chipper truck.
BILL NO. BL2014-838, which would extend an historical overlay on lower Broadway passes but two parcels had already taken out building permits to change the character of their building so now they are vested in that proposed change and this will not protect those buildings.  If this would have passed back in October 2014, that would not have happened. 
BILL NO. BL2015-1304  is the tax give away to the Neighborhood Resource Center. It passes without discussion on a machine vote of 33 "yes," 5 "no," and 2 abstentions. The five good councilmen who voted "no" were Stites, Clairborne, Dominy, Duvall, and Mitchel. 
BILL NO. BL2015-1306  is another of those PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) sweetheart deals to encourage businesses to locate or expand in Nashville. This one would lure a company from Lavergne to Nashville and give them a $710,000 tax break. It passes on a machine vote of 35 "yes," 2 "no", and 2 abstentions. The two good councilmen who voted "no" were Josh Stites and Tony Tennpenny.
BILL NO. BL2015-1308 gives Piedmont Natural Gas two pieces of property and $159,617 to reimburse them for $530K of cost they had in relocating a pipeline during the construction of the Sounds ballpark. It passes on a machine vote of 33 in favor, 3 against and 3 abstentions. The council members who voted "no," which I think was the correct way to vote, were Josh Stites, Robert Duval, and Bo Mitchel.
About the last four minutes of the meeting are various farewell comments. 

Here is The Tennessean's report on the meeting: Council agrees to give Piedmont 80 acres, $160K for stadium work

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Gov. Bill Haslam: 'Local Hire' Mandate 'Problematic for Nashville'

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam thinks it was a mistake for Nashville-Davidson County voters to approve a "local hire" amendment requiring that 40 percent of the labor on local projects be performed by locally residing workers. However, the governor said during a press conference on Aug. 13 that he's unsure what the state will do in response.

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Early Voting schedule. Early Voting starts Friday August 21st.

Note: Early voting for Megan Barry starts Friday September 11th.

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TNGOP Statement Regarding Today's Joint Legislative Hearing on Planned Parenthood

Press Release, NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes released the following statement regarding today's Joint Legislative Hearing into the activities of Planned Parenthood in Tennessee:

In light of the seven videos that have uncovered barbaric practices taking place at Planned Parenthood facilities nationwide, it is entirely appropriate for our legislators to scrutinize that organization’s activities in Tennessee. Given that we are discussing women’s health and human life, shouldn’t we know exactly what is happening in Tennessee? While the Democratic Party blindly supports Planned Parenthood regardless of what sick revelation comes out, Tennesseans are rightfully asking questions and deserve answers.

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Donald Trump in Nashville, Saturday, August 29th

Making the RIGHT Change & Straw Poll with Donald Trump and many other great speakers.

National Federation of Republican Assemblies
Saturday, August 29, 2015 from 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM (CDT) Nashville, TN

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Nashville Scores A+, Ranks in Top 10 Cities Nationwide for Small Business Friendliness

Manchester, Dallas, and Richmond top rankings in Thumbtack annual Small Business Friendliness Survey; New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago among the least friendly cities

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- August 18, 2015 -- Small business owners rated Nashville as one of the best business climates in the United States, giving the city an A+ for business friendliness and rating it in the top ten nationally, according to Thumbtack’s annual Small Business Friendliness Survey. Complete results for Nashville are published at https://www.thumbtack.com/tn/nashville/.

Nearly 18,000 U.S. small business owners responded to this year’s survey, including 138 in Nashville and 316 in Tennessee. The study asked respondents to rate their state and city governments across a broad range of policy factors. Thumbtack then evaluated states and cities against one another along more than a dozen metrics.

“Small business owners on Thumbtack have consistently told us that they welcome support from their governments but are frequently frustrated by unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles,” said Jon Lieber, Chief Economist of Thumbtack. “Nashville did incredibly well in our survey across various measures of starting and running a business, but business owners tell us the city could do more to help them succeed.”

“The community in Nashville is very close and supportive of small businesses,” commented a graphic designer in Nashville. “There is a large amount of freedom and creativity here that everyone supports.”

Key Findings for Nashville:

• Nashville earned a A+ overall for small business friendliness, ranking #6 out of 95 cities ranked this year.
• Nashville's exceptional A+ in the 2015 survey was an improvement from its A grade in 2014.
• Nashville earned A grades from small businesses for licensing and tax regulations, and an A+ for ease of starting a business.
• Tennessee earned an A+ for its licensing regulations, as well as an A for tax and labor regulations.
• The worst score for Nashville was a C- in training and networking programs.
• Nashville and Knoxville both earned A+ grades in overall friendliness and ranked #6 and #5 respectively.

 link

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Rep. Glen Casada Not Happy About 'Local Hire' Amendment in Nashville

Like a lot of pro-free market Republicans in the General Assembly, Tennessee House Majority Leader Glen Casada of Williamson County is weighing legislative options for dealing with Davidson County voters' approval of a local charter amendment requiring that 40 percent of the labor on Metro-funded construction projects be performed by locally residing workers. The measure, Amendment 3, was approved by 58 percent of Nashville-Davidson voters in the August 6 Metro election.

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Mayoral debate Wednesday, August 19th 6PM

 Mayoral Debates:

Wednesday, August 19, 6 pm
Live on Tennessean.com. and WSMV-TV Channel 4

NashForward/Tennessean/ Belmont Mcafee Auditorium

Monday, August 24, 7 pm
League of Women Voters/Vanderbilt/Channel 5 Televised Debate Blair School of Music 2400 Blakemore Avenue

Wednesday, September 2, 6pm 
FOX 17 Trevecca Nazarene University

At-Large Candidates Forum -- 
Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, Hillsboro-West End Neighborhood, Belmont University and Vanderbilt University are partnering together to host an at-large candidates forum on Thursday, August 20. Blake Farmer, WPLN Host/Assistant News Director, will be the forum moderator.

The forum will be from 6:30 to 8:00pm in the Community Room at Belmont United Methodist Church, located at 2007 Acklen Avenue. For more information, contact Mary Pat Teague at 615-322-8337.
Regards, David G. Thompson, President Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, Inc.

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Liberty on the Rocks, Thursday, August 20, 2015, 5:30 PM Mafiaoza's 2400 12th Ave S Nashville, TN 37204

No prayer, no pledge, no officers, no speaker, no program, no dues; just a bunch of smart right of center people and the occasional quirky Anarcho-capitalist get together to eat, drink, and engage in polite debate and sharing of ideas.  Thursday, August 20, 2015, 5:30 PM, Mafiaoza's, 2400 12th Ave S Nashville, TN 37204.

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What is on the Metro Council Agenda for Aug. 18, 2015: tax giveaway to Neighborhood Resource Center, DADU text amendment,

The big item of interest on this agenda is a bill on third reading which would change the terms of an original deal in order to provide a windfall for the leftist Neighborhood Resource Center. See the analysis of BILL NO. BL2015-1304 below.

If you don't know what the Metro Council is voting on and you watch a council meeting, you will find it boring. If you have your own copy of the Council agenda and staff analysis the meeting will most likely still be boring, but you will at least know why it is boring. Think of it this way: with an agenda and analysis watching a council meeting is as exciting as watching paint dry; without an agenda and analysis it is as boring as waiting for water to boil.

There are eight appointees to Boards and Commissions on the agenda for Council confirmation. They will all be rubber stamped as always.

There is one resolution on public hearing and it is to allow a restaurant that already has a state liquor license to be exempt from the distance requirement necessary to get a beer permit. This seems like a waste of time. In my view, if you have a liquor license then you should automatically be eligible for a beer license. What kind of logic is there that says you may sell hard liquor but not a beer? There are no bills on public hearing.

There are 28 resolution on the agenda all lumped together and put on the "consent agenda."  If a resolution does not pass the committee to which it was assigned unanimously then it is not left on consent but is considered separately. Any council member may, from the floor, ask for a resolution to be pulled off of consent and then the resolution will be considered separately.  Most of the resolutions are simply acceptance of routine federal pass-thorough grants. Here are the resolutions of interest:

• RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1603 approves issuing $15 million in bonds to pay for improvements at the Titan's Nisan stadium for improvements as required by the Titan's lease agreement with the Sports authority, to be paid for from the $3 ticket tax added to tickets sold for events at the stadium. These bonds are not a general obligation of the city and no regular tax revenue will be used to pay off the bonds. I see no reason to oppose this.

• RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1604  authorizes the issuance of $200 million in the form of "commercial paper," which is a form of short term financing, for water and sewer projects. This is not a general obligation of the city which could lead to mandatory tax increases. Given the explanation in the staff analysis, I see no reason to oppose this.

• RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1605  appropriates $250K from the 4% fund to purchase a shredder truck for the Sheriff's department. Money set aside in the 4% fund can only be used for equipment purchase and building repairs. The Director of Finance has refused to approve the resolution as to the availability of funds and the Sheriff's department has sufficient 4% money for this purchase if they choose to use it.  This resolution will be substituted for a memorializing resolution asking the Sheriff's department to purchase the shredder truck.  Is this a document shredder truck or a chipper truck? I don't know. I assume a chipper. The public works function provided by the sheriff's office is very popular among members of the metro council.
•  RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-1606  approves a $200,000 grant to expand the Nashville Financial Empowerment Centers program.  I would be more pleased if this money was raised privately instead of using tax dollars, but I think this type program is beneficial to our community.  It provides financial counseling to anyone in Nashville who needs it. I have worked most of my adult life in a field teaching people financial literacy and counseling people in financial crisis. While I generally oppose programs that subsidize poverty, I support programs that help lift people out of poverty. Financial coaching or teaching financial literacy can change lives. I am convinced that poverty is more a function of poor decision making and financial ignorance than a function of how much money one earns. With correct values and knowledge and wise decision making one can earn more money.  Poverty is a result of attitude more than anything else. I would vote for this bill if I were in the Council.
  

There are no bills on First Reading or Second Reading. This is the last meeting of this term of the Council thus no bills on First or Second Reading. Any bills not passed on August 18th will be dead and will have to start over with the next council. Many of the bills on third reading are zoning bills that don't interest me.   These are the bills of interest on Third Reading:

• BILL NO. BL2014-838,  is the bill that would as I understand it, extend historical overlay protection for part of lower Broadway.  This is a complex issue and when it was acted upon in October 2014 and then deferred indefinitely the Council engaged in some adept and rare parliamentary maneuvering.  To understand the issue and the maneuvers on the bill at that time you must watch the video of that October 21st meeting carefully. To see the video follow this link.  To see the discussion see time stamp 27:02- 50:30. Below is how the Tennessean described this issue at the time:
  

  In other business Tuesday, historic preservationists scored a victory, with the council voting down a plan that could have led to a makeover of the historic Trail West store building on Lower Broadway.

  At issue is a block of property at Broadway and Third Avenue South still unprotected by the rest of the area’s historic overlay, as a way to accommodate a Westin Hotel proposed in 2007 but never built.

  Councilwoman Erica Gilmore, who represents downtown, had proposed an ordinance to extend the historic overlay to include this block, but at the last minute had sought to exclude the Trail West property at 217-219 Broadway. There, broker Marshall Karr, who recently purchased the property, is eyeing a three-story, open-air structure anchored by a steakhouse.

  Gilmore’s amendment to exclude the Trail West building from the overlay, however, failed by a 14-20 vote. Later, Gilmore’s motion to withdraw the legislation, which could have enabled the demolition of the building, failed as well by a 12-21 vote.

  “Historic preservation is what makes downtown Nashville great,” said Councilwoman Emily Evans, who sought to protect the Trail West building. “It is the golden goose. Let’s not kill it.”

  I assume passing this bill without the amendment which would have excluded the Trail West building is a good thing.  It appears that in October 2014 when Gilmore could not pass the bill excluding Trail West, she did not want to pass it at all but now is willing to extend the historical overlay without that exclusion. I hope my interpretation is correct but am not absolutely certain and hope preservationist are paying attentions.
  
  
• BILL NO. BL2015-1098  concerns '“Community Education' siting" and would allow schools to locate in zoned districts where they are not now permitted and would relax the lot size requirements for a school is deferred indefinitely.  I think this is a good bill. Included in this is a provision that schools could now be established in IWD districts (Industrial Warehousing/Distribution, intended for a wide range of warehousing, wholesaling, and bulk distribution uses). The bill also provides for "adaptive reuse," meaning a school could be located in an existing building, regardless of lot size, that was not originally intended for a school. On the face of it this seems like a good thing to do. Why not allow a school to locate in a relocated church building or an empty mall? Some people in the Greenhills area are opposed to any relaxation of the current school siting requirements because they are concerned that Hillsboro High will relocate and the valuable land which is now Hillsboro High will be redeveloped. They want to make it very difficult for Hillsboro High to relocate simply because they oppose new commercial and multifamily development in Greenhills. The bill was on public hearing on July 7th and deferred indefinitely. It passed on Second Reading last Council meeting. I assume it will pass.

• SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2015-1120 establishes a provision in the zoning text that would permit communities that are zoned "RS" to have detached accessory dwelling unit on those properties, if a DADU overlay is placed on the properties.  A DADU overlay is already permitted for neighborhoods zoned "R." "RS" is a zoning that prohibits duplexes.  At one time, there was no "RS" zone and duplexes were allowed in any "R" zoned property.  Overtime, many neighborhoods were rezoned RS to prohibit duplexes. There is a lot of confusion and concern over what is happening with regards to detached accessory dwelling units in Nashville. Follow this link for a detailed analysis of BL2015-1120 provided by the Green Hills Neighborhood Association.

 I support BL2015-1120 and other bills that advance DADU's. I think that allowing accessory dwelling units on lots will create affordable housing without the heavy hand of government mandating it or imposing price controls. It will also expand the tax base so we can afford to pay off all of the debt the city had accumulated without raising taxes. It will make mass transit more likely to develop and succeed and it will reduce future urban sprawl.

•  BILL NO. BL2015-1155 would apply a DADU overlay to about 129 acres of "R" zoned property in East Nashville.

•  BILL NO. BL2015-1255  would change the zoning text "to permit the transfer of development rights from historic properties in Metropolitan Nashville. This means someone could own a piece of property but could give or sell the right to develop it to someone else, meaning the historical property could not then be developed. That in itself would not protect the structure, but if one could not build build something bigger on the site, there would be no incentive to tear down a historical structure. If the current owner did not own the development rights, developers would not be trying to buy his property.  Something similar is a tool used a lot in rural areas to preserve the character of rural property. A farmer may own a farm and wish to keep it as a farm, perhaps wanting to pass it own to his children.  He may give the "development rights" to a non profit conservation group.  The transferring the development rights and the receiving of the development rights would have to be approved by Metro. The receiving party would then have the right to greater development on the property to which the rights were transferred, but I am still a little fuzzy on how this would work, but it seems like a good concept.  

• BILL NO. BL2015-1272 in Councilman Scott Davis's district would apply a DADU overlay to 672 acres. DADU is "detached accessory dwelling unit." There are restrictions on size of the accessory dwelling unit and access and other things.  If the DADU text amendment of bill 1120 above does not pass on, then this bill cannot be passed. Last meeting there was an effort to kill this bill but Davis made a good argument in favor of his bill and the effort to defer the bill failed. 

• BILL NO. BL2015-1278  would allow the council to exempt by resolution, after a public hearing, an applicant for a beer permit from the distance requirements of the regulation. This makes so much sense to me. As we become more dense, there will be a greater desire for neighborhood pubs and restaurants. Many sites are off limits for such due to their proximity to a church or park or residence. A restaurant that sells beer across from a park is not going to negatively impact that park. On a case by case basis this would allow exemptions from those distance requirements. This was on third reading last meeting but deferred one meeting. 

Fire Hall # 1

• BILL NO. BL2015-1304  is a tax give away to the Neighborhood Resource Center.

In June 2007, the city sold at a bargain price a historic piece of property to NRC, located located 1312 3rd Ave. North, known as Fire Hall # 1.  The property was sold for a price of $86,000 and was appraised for $147,000, meaning Metro essentially gave  $61,0000 to NRC.  However, the deed stipulated that if NRC ever failed to occupy the building, NRC was entitled to the $86,000 they paid for the property and the cost of any improvements to the property and the property would revert to metro.

NRC should never have gotten such a sweetheart deal in the first place. Since that time, NRC has fallen on hard times and now wants to sell the property, but they want to change the original deal. Now they want to pay Metro $100,909 for the property, sell it and pocket the difference. The property is currently appraised for $590,000 by the tax assessors office. It may be worth much more than that.  That would be a huge windfall for NRC and would fund their operating budget for a long time.

The Neighborhood Resource Center is a non-profit group that while doing some non-objectionable, if not even occasionally good things, also engages in some far left political activity, as they did in 2011 when they hosted a meeting to discuss how to implement the Contract for the American Dream.

The Contract for the American Dream was a project of the far left MoveOn.Org. A whole host of other liberal and leftist organization were also partners in the Contract for the American Dream campaign including Planned Parenthood, Progressive Congress.org, Progressive Democrats of America, Daily Kos, People for the American Way, and Code Pink.

A long time staffer (unsure if he had the title Executive Director, but he was always the public face of the organization), Mike Hodge was a community organizer trained in the Saul Alinsky tradition.  Hodge now works for the progressive group NOAH.  In addition to that overtly leftist Contract for the American Dream effort, NRC often engaged in activity, that while not terribly offensive, was more suited to an organization such as a labor union or political organization rather than a non-profit claiming a charitable purpose.

NRC is good at going into neighborhoods and getting people stirred up to stop projects which could actually help communities.  They often stir people up to stop affordable housing projects and they attempted but failed to stop the partnership between Metro Parks and Belmont University that lead to the massive investments and improvements to E. S. Rose Park.

At one time NRC was heavily funded by United Way and received funding from other sources but lost most of their sources of funding. In December 2014 they attempted to get Metro to give them funding as a charity. After several delays, the Council turned down their request for funding.

To learn much more about the Neighborhood Resource Center, follow this link.

• BILL NO. BL2015-1306  is another of those PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) sweetheart deals to encourage businesses to locate or expand in Nashville. This one would lure a company from Lavergne to Nashville and give them a $710,000 tax break.

• BILL NO. BL2015-1308 gives Piedmont Natural Gas two pieces of property and $159,617 to reimburse them for $530K of cost they had in relocating a pipeline during the construction of the Sounds ballpark. This was left out of the construction cost appropriations when approved by the Council.  Last Council meeting when the bill was on Second Reading CM Bo Mitchell asks why?  Good question. An expensive project anyway and plagued by massive cost overruns Mitchell suggest this cost was not included at the time the project was being build in order to deceive the council.  I suspect he is right.

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Senator Jack Johnson: Nashville's 'Local Hire' Amendment 'Bad, Bad Economic Policy'

Senator Jack Johnson, who is chairman of the Tennessee state Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, tells TNReport that he is unequivocally averse to a new "local hire" charter amendment passed by Nashville voters on Aug. 6. Thankfully, we may be saved from becoming the San Francisco of the South by the State legislature. Thank God for men like Senator Johnson.

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Come and Support! Robert Duvall for Council At Large

Come and Support! 

Robert Duvall for Council At Large

Monday, August 24 th 5:30-7:30pm.

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5 

440 Welshwood Dr. Nashville, TN 37211-4207 

Please join Friends of Councilman Robert Duvall as we get ready for a "SWEET" VICTORY 

Bring your family and friends and enjoy delicious desserts and light hors d’oeuvres as we come together to support Councilman Duvall in the runoff election for Council at Large.

Donations Requested. Paid for by Elect Robert Duvall, Robert Taylor, Treasurer

To visit Robert's website follow this link: http://www.robertduvall.us   

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BL 2015-1120, Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit overlay tool bill to be withdarwn.

Council member Burkley Allen had announced she plans to withdraw BL 2015-1120, the bill that would establish a tool to permit neighborhoods that are zoned "RS" to have Detached Accessory Dwelling Units. As she explains, this bill would not permit DADU's for any neighborhood, but would simply provide that tool if a neighborhood wanted the DADU overlay, permitting DADU's in their neighborhood.

I am disappointed this bill is being withdrawn.  Fortunately however, Ms Allen has been reelected and can reintroduce the bill in the next council.  That would be starting over and the bill would have to again be on public hearing.  I hope she does not give up on getting this passed and will reintroduce it in the next Council.CM Allen has worked hard on this bill and has addressed many of he concerns people have with it.

I know many people do not want this tool to be available.  They want to preserve Nashville the way it is.  Nashville is not going to remain the way it is.  We are growing. We need greater density if we are to avoid greater future urban sprawl, if we are to avoid more crowded roadways, if we are to expand the tax base so it is possible to pay for all of the city's debt without raising taxes, it we are to have good mass transit, and if we are to have affordable housing without resorting to mandates and counter productive price controls to achieve it.

DADU's are now permitted in districts zoned "R" but not in districts zoned "RS."  RS is a residential zoning that prohibits duplexes.  This is the email from CM Burkely that was posted to the Nashville Neighbors Google Group.

From: "Allen, Burkley (Council Member)" <Burkle...@nashville.gov>
Date: August 15, 2015 at 7:24:07 AM CDT
To: "Allen, Burkley (Council Member)" <Burkle...@nashville.gov>

Subject: BL 2015-1120 Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit overlay tool

 Dear Neighbors,
       I understand that there are concerns that this bill would change zoning in neighborhoods to allow  Detached Accessory Dwelling Units.   However, that is not what the bill does.  This is not a zoning change, and it does not apply anywhere.  This ordinance simply creates a tool similar to a historic overlay that a neighborhood could choose to implement if they determined that it was appropriate for them.  The passage of this ordinance would not change the zoning for any property in the county.
       I introduced this bill through the established process back in May.  It had all the required notices and public hearings.  I did not realize the need to go to neighborhoods because I was using an established tool, the overlay, with established DADU guidelines that had been put in place over a year ago with public input.  When I became aware that there were concerns among neighbors,  I held public meetings, scheduling them as soon as I could while still allowing time for adequate notice.
    I have continued to listen to concerns and to offer and accept amendments that would address those concerns.  In response to the concern that this would be a tool for investors rather than neighbors, I have written an amendment to require that  a minimum of 30 contiguous lots be included.  In response to concerns that this would lead to demolition of existing homes, I have accepted an amendment to prohibit demolition of the principal structure within 3 years of building a DADU.  In response to concerns about the widespread use of DADU’s for short term rental, I have agreed to revisit the STRP regulations and include the DADU category in the 3% limit  that would greatly restrict the use.
          Because there is still so much mistrust about this bill, however, I plan to withdraw it on third reading. I have had some good discussion and have ideas for a more targeted tool that I will discuss with neighborhoods before anything is reintroduced.   My intention has never been to harm neighborhoods, and it is important to me to have their support.

Kind regards,
Burkley Allen
Metro Council 18th District

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Boots & Jeans, BBQ & Beans with Gov. Scott Walker, Sunday, Aug. 23rd.

9th Annual Boots & Jeans, BBQ & Beans

State Senator Jack Johnson

Sunday, August 23, 2015 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM (CDT)

Franklin, TN
 

I have attended these events on three previous occasions. They are a lot of fun. Last year's guest speaker was Governor Bobby Jindal.

I don't know if Senator Jack Johnson will be performing or not, but in addition to being a great senator he is a great entertainer. He performs with the Austin Brothers band. If you like the music of Ray Price and Merle Haggard, you will love this band. They have performed in the past and I hope they perform again this year. The food is good and it is just a fun time.

I have seen Governor Scott Walker speak once before and he is someone you do not want to miss. In a crowded Republican field for the nomination he is currently among the top three contenders. He very well could be the next President of the United States.

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David Fox in Hermitage, August 23rd 5:30-7:30

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