May is Nashville Bike Month beginning with Walk & Roll to School Day on May 11. Join Walk Bike Nashville as they celebrate their second annual Walk and Roll to School Day. Among the 13 schools participating will be Waverly Belmont. For questions or if you’re interested in joining, contact Katie Hoovler.
Dragon Parade and Dragon Music Sundays – Join Hillsboro West End Neighbors for their annual Dragon Parade on Sunday, May 15. Neighbors will gather at the Triangle Park at Natchez Trace and Blair at 2:30 and will start marching at 3. Decorated bikes and costumed children will follow behind the bagpipes and Chinese dragon. The procession ends at the Dragon Park with an ice cream social followed by the kick off of the Dragon Music Sundays series, which continues for the next four weeks at 4 each Sunday afternoon, featuring the Jimmy Church Band, Promised Land Sound, Webb Wilder, Daddy (Will Kimbrough and Tommy Womack), and the Metro Parks Jam Band.
Bike month continues on May 20 with Bike to Work Day. Join one of 10 guided bike rides from across the city into Public Square for a breakfast celebration at 8am (or you can just meet at Public Square). In District 18, there will be two groups: 1) The Hillsboro West End group will start from Elmington Park at 7:20am or riders can meet-up at 25th and Garland at 7:30am; 2) The Belmont Hillsboro group leaves from Red Kite Bicycle Studio at 7:25am with a second meet-up point at Athlete’s House at 7:35am. All skill levels are welcome. It is a great chance to see how Nashville’s bike infrastructure is growing. Routes can be viewed here.
The grand finale of Bike Month is the Tour de Nash on May 21. The Tour de Nash is Nashville’s largest urban bike ride and has been organized for the past eleven years by Walk Bike Nashville to encourage people to explore Nashville’s best bikeways and roads by bicycle. The 2016 Tour de Nash will once again start and end at Germantown’s Morgan Park, in partnership with the Capitol District Street Fair. The Tour will feature an 8-Mile Family Ride, a 25-Mile Ride, and a 45-Mile Ride. These rides highlight Nashville’s neighborhoods, bikeways and greenways with rest stops featuring refreshments, bathroom facilities, and basic bicycle maintenance equipment available every 10-15 miles. Food, beverages, and entertainment will be available at the finish line. Rides begin at 8:30am. Register ahead of time here. Paid Tour de Nash registrants will receive one food voucher redeemable at participating vendors at the Capitol Street District Fair.
Development News
– The proposed 76-unit apartment project at 1710 Belcourt went before the Metro Council for public hearing on May 3. The apartments would be slightly below market rate, mostly studio and 1-bedroom with a small number of 2-bedroom units. While there is general support for putting this high density project on the Wedgewood corridor, concerns were expressed about how the 4-story building related to other buildings on the street, and the developer, GBT Realty was asked to position the building so that is has a setback in line with neighboring Village Row and Arlington Court. The architect is working on this request and will present a revised plan in the upcoming week. I am hopeful that this adjustment will make the project fit into Hillsboro Village more appropriately.
– Neighbors on Ashwood were presented with a concept plan for replacing the existing quadplex at 2000 Ashwood with a higher density town home development. The developer is trying to gauge acceptance before he refines his plans. Responses so far have indicated little support for an increase in density.
Sidewalk News – Thanks to Mayor Barry’s emphasis on increasing transportation options, every part of Nashville is experiencing an increased level of sidewalk construction and repair. District 18 has several projects in the works. The new sidewalk on 18th Avenue is almost complete, and engineering plans are underway for Gale Lane and 25th Avenue South. Repairs for tree damage, broken pavement, and ADA non-compliance have begun on 29th, 30th, Blakemore, and Natchez Trace, and more are on the way. An update to the strategic sidewalk plan is in process and will help prioritize how we fill in the rest of the sidewalk network. For more information, visit the Public Works’ Sidewalk webpage.
Budget News – The Council will begin hearings on the Mayor’s proposed budget May 9 and continue through May 19. This year’s $2 billion budget is a 6% increase reflecting the remarkable growth that Nashville is experiencing. The budget includes $10 million for the Barnes Fund for affordable housing, $33 million in new revenues for Metro Schools and teacher pay increases, funding to open more libraries on Fridays, additional funds to Metro Parks for maintenance increases for Metro Police and Fire Departments, and $2 million to MTA to improve service options. The Capital Spending Plan, to be released later in May, includes $60 million for sidewalks and roadwork and $40 million to start work on the Hillsboro High School renovation. More information is available here.
Great things are happening in Nashville, and we are working to ensure that they are beneficial for everyone. I appreciate the engagement of this community, and I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts and suggestions. You can contact me at 615-383-6604 or burkley.allen@nashville.gov.
Regards,
Burkley Allen
Metro Council 18th District