Metro councilman wants more transparency for large developments in neighborhoods
District 14 Councilman Jordan Huffman recently filed legislation that will require mailed notices when certain final site plans are approved, particularly in cases where zoning changes happened several years prior but construction hasn't yet begun.
According to Huffman, the inspiration for the legislation came from two separate incidents in his district. Two different pieces of property were rezoned in 2020 from single-family to allow for high-density development. But because the properties were already rezoned five years ago, the final site plan approval that came before the Planning Commission required no further notice to adjacent property owners.
'In one [rezoning] … it goes from one home to twenty-five,' Huffman told News 2. 'The other piece of property is on Dodson Chapel Road, right across from Flower Your Dreams Bakery and Salvo's. That is two lots, so two homes that are going to be fifty-four townhomes.'
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By current law, Huffman said developers are not required to notify any neighbors when construction moves forward, since the properties were rezoned years ago.
Rezoning properties in Nashville requires certain notices be placed for neighbors to keep informed. Signs must be placed at the subject property by the property owner, and the owner is also required to mail notice to adjacent property owners when they're seeking a rezoning.
But when multiple years pass between when a property is rezoned and when further development actually happens, Huffman argues those living near the future development have a right to be informed when a final site plan is approved.
'My argument is we deserve to tell taxpayers when something is coming up, just to give them a heads up,' he told News 2. 'This is simply a notification.'
The proposed legislation would require property owners be notified if a large development is proposed nearby if construction has not begun within four years of the original rezoning. It would only apply to projects with five or more homes, within 1,000 feet of residential zones, and outside of Downtown Code areas.
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'It only targets properties where it was single-family zoned and it will increase density to five or more dwellings,' he said, noting it was only a notification mechanism, not any kind of work-around to stop the development from happening.
'It would be up to the developer to send that notice, and you're looking at costs well under $1,000 for that mailing, and that's if you're sending full-color, front-and-back mailings, and I don't think anyone will be doing that,' Huffman said News 2.
With how rapidly Nashville is changing, it makes sense to add this level of transparency, especially given the boom in rental properties in the area.
'If a rezoning happened in 2020, and you moved in in 2021, you're not going to have any idea that that even happened,' he told News 2.
Huffman said he based his legislation off similar notices required in Arizona and Massachusetts. Both states have laws requiring the notices when large gaps occur between rezoning and actual construction on developments.
In both use cases in Huffman's district, he told News 2 the developers were happy to hold community meetings to inform neighbors what precisely they were planning to bring to the area.
'They showed plans. People loved it because they wanted to be in the know,' he said of the meetings.
Currently, the Planning Department has recommended disapproval of the proposed legislation, according to Huffman. The proposal is set to go before the Metro Planning Commission on Thursday, May 22, where Huffman suspects it might fail.
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'The planning department thinks that people will think it's an opportunity to override the zoning. I have a hard time with that one. I like to think that the citizens of Nashville are intelligent enough to know it's a notification,' he said.
If the proposal fails at the Planning Commission, Huffman said he will need 27 votes on the Metro Council to move forward with the proposed legislation.
If he is successful in that plan, Huffman said he plans to amend the proposed legislation before it is introduced on second reading in August in order to clarify the notification is just that—and not any attempt to circumvent development.
'We're just trying to close off a loop with this. It's the least we can do to keep our public informed,' Huffman told News 2.
Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@wkrn.com.
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