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.
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:
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.
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.
 |
| Fire Hall # 1 |
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.
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.
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
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.
There is a lot of confusion and concern over what is happening with regards to detached accessory dwelling units in Nashville. BL2015-1120 will be on the agenda August 18th. 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. Below is an analysis for BL2015-1120 from the Green Hills Neighborhood Association.
Dear GHNA Members,
BL2015-1120, creation of Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit Overlay for RS zoned areas, is scheduled for the 3rd and final vote on August 18. Neighborhoods zoned R (allowing duplexes) currently allows DADUs. This bill has been deferred twice due to concerns and opposition from numerous neighborhoods across Nashville. This bill creates the process for a DADU overlay only for RS zoned neighborhoods; it does not create an overlay for any one area. A Council Member would make application to request an overlay for a specific RS zoned area; the request would go through Metro Planning Commission and three votes at Metro Council. The Metro Code reference in this bill (Section 17.16.030 F) provides for some restrictions; 7 and 8 below will be included for DADUs:
At the community meeting held on August 3, neighborhoods from across Nashville were represented. CM Burkley Allen conducted the meeting; after explaining the bill and the above restrictions, she stated there are a few RS zoned neighborhoods that would like to keep their RS zoning (as opposed to R zoning which would allow full blown duplexes), but would like to have the option of building a detached accessory dwelling unit behind their existing house. CM Allen stated she was surprised there was so much opposition to this bill creating an overlay.
- One principal dwelling and only one detached accessory dwelling permitted on a single lot.
- The same person who owns the principal dwelling shall own DADU.
- One of the two dwellings must be owner-occupied.
- Living space and dwelling footprint have size restrictions.
- Height restrictions.
- DADU shall be of similar style, design and material color as principal dwelling.
- There must be 30 contiguous lots in an area to request a DADU overlay.
- Any house deemed to have historic eligibility couldn’t be torn down to be replaced with a principal dwelling and a DADU.
Below are some of the concerns expressed regarding creating a DADU Overlay in RS zoned neighborhoods:
- Neighborhoods have worked too hard to downzone to RS to see the RS zoning weakened by this overlay. We can see a lawyer, like Tom White, coming in and arguing that half the houses in the neighborhood have a second dwelling, so why can’t his client build a duplex? Most thought weakening the definition of RS zoning is opening the door for unintended consequences. Former CM John Summers explained he was on the council when the SP zoning was created; they tried to cover all the future consequences, but over the years things have changed and now SP is just “junk” zoning.
- The few RS zoned neighborhoods that want this overlay “want their cake and eat it too,” but they need to decide if they want to be RS or R. They should not be allowed to have it both ways · It was suggested the Planning Department create a new zoning code that describes a principal dwelling with the option of having a second smaller detached accessory dwelling unit. Keep all the restrictions that are in the overlay bill, but create a separate zoning code. That way the RS zoning definition is not weakened. The Planning Dept is reluctant to do this because they would need to make many changes to the Metro Code, but these would be one-time changes. Why should the majority of RS zoned neighborhoods deal with a weakened definition of RS zoning, just so a few neighborhoods can have “their cake and eat it too?”
- There is lack of enforcement. Codes simply does not have the manpower to make sure all the restrictions are being followed.
- CMs have flexibility as to how they conduct their determination whether to request an overlay or re-zoning. There is no requirement for a certain percentage of property owners’ support to create a DADU Overlay. By comparison, the new Contextual Overlay District created last year requires 100% property owner support. Historic Overlays also require a high standard of support, which has prevented some neighborhoods such as Sylvan Park from receiving a Historic Overlay. Yet the DADU Overlay bill doesn’t specify any level of support at all.
- There were concerns about these DADUs being used for AirBnB and short-term rentals. CM Allen responded this is something that may need more thought. Some individuals have converted garages to apartments; they would still be entitled to a DADU. The concern is that they could have two spaces for short-term rental (AirBnB).
- Where overlays are approved, this could potentially increase density in our RS neighborhoods. It could affect parking, trash pickup, all types of city services. Most RS neighborhoods do not want the increased traffic and parking. CM Allen stated she is listening and other Council Members are listening. She has a couple of options:
If you have specific questions about this bill, you may contact the sponsor, CM Burkley Allen, at Burkley.Allen@nashville.gov If you have an opinion, please let the Metro Council know before August 18 by sending an e-mail to councilmembers@nashville.gov. The GHNA Boar
- She could defer this bill indefinitely; since this is the end of the Council term, any bill not acted on dies. It would be necessary for the process to completely start over with the new Council. OR
- She could withdraw this bill, go back to the Planning Department and request they create a new zoning code for RS neighborhoods that want to have DADUs; the new zoning code would contain all the restrictions found in the DADU portion of the Metro Code. By creating a new code, the RS zoning code would continue to define one single family dwelling on one lot. OR
- She could ask for a final vote on August 18.
by Scott Harrison, Nashville Business Journal, Jul 31, 2015- Mayor Karl Dean’s legacy includes skyline-altering projects that helped turn Music City into “It City.” To get us here, he’s bet big on Nashville’s growth — leaving the city with nearly $1 billion in additional debt....in 2007, Nashville had just under $2 billion in outstanding debt on its books. At the end of June, that figure had climbed to about $2.9 billion — a nearly 50 percent increase in eight years, and a far larger clip than his predecessor.
And that number doesn’t include the bond funding used to build the $600 million Music City Center, a case where repayment falls on the Convention Center Authority. Nor does it account for the bulk of $65 million in bonds the Metro Sports Authority issued to pay for the new Nashville Sounds ballpark in Germantown.
... Moody’s also suggests that if Nashville’s tax base doesn’t continue to grow, and debt burdens remain elevated, the city may have to raise taxes to pay for its tab. .... To pay for the additional debt of the past few years, Nashville needs to keep growing. .....The city owed $3,261 per Nashvillian in June 2014, a 32 percent increase since June 2007. .....Since mid-2007, Metro has borrowed about $730 million to fund schools.....Charlie Tygard,.... argues that Metro is overexposed if the economy slows. (link)
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