June Community Meeting Notes
Thanks to all of our neighbors who came our for our June neighborhood community meeting! Read on for our meeting notes if you couldn't make it.
We welcomed Scorpion Yoga, a new yoga collective founded by Kim Mikula, Lydia Gray Gamble, and Meghan D'Amico. Scorpion Yoga is operating in the abrasiveMedia space on the second floor of Houston Station (438 Houston St).
Kim and Lydia told us that the intent of Scorpion Yoga is to create a welcoming and non-intimidating space for all. They have already been teaching in the area, previously running donation-based classes at Sauvage Galerie on 3rd Ave. The drop-in rate for a class is $15 and packages are available that reduce the cost to $10 per class. Their current schedule is:
Monday at 8PM
Wednesday at 7:30PM
Thursday at 5:30PM
Check out their social media for updates and additional information! We're grateful to the ladies at Scorpion Yoga for offering this wellness service to our neighborhood.
Executive Director Laura Womack of the Fairgrounds Nashville and team members working on the MLS soccer stadium project attended to give us a comprehensive update on what's been happening at the property. They included a helpful slideshow presentation, which you can find here. they covered several key points in their presentation:
- Construction of the new, $3 million fairgrounds park, which includes a dog park, continues on the Bransford/Craighead side of the property.
- The Fair Board approved an update to the fairgrounds site plan, informed by community input over a series of meetings in May, on June 12. Participants in that planning process wanted the plan to prioritize daily use of the property, integration with the neighborhood, ongoing attention to noise and traffic concerns. A traffic and parking consultant has been hired.
- A User Advisory Committee will be created to address the concerns of flea market vendors and others who use the site.
- In a departure from the original plan, the updated fairgrounds plan has the private, mixed-use development located adjacent to the stadium site and the fairgrounds event spaces moved to the area near Walsh Road, Nolensville, and Wingrove St. This was based on community input and the team said this is intended to minimize the disruption of current activities at the site.
- Neighbors should expect mail in the coming weeks notifying them of a July 26 Metro planning Commission hearing on the rezoning of the 10 acres at the fairgrounds which will be used for the multi-use development.
- The Mayor's office and the MLS franchise hopes to have all necessary items approved by relevant boards, commissions, and the Metro Council by September 4. The Tennessean has a helpful outline of those items.
Neighbors expressed a variety of concerns to the fairgrounds team. The availability of sufficient parking and traffic concerns were common themes. There were also questions about the fate of the Tennessee State Fair. The team said that the fair is welcome to stay, but there is no dedicated place in the new plan for the fair to occur on the property. The team said that the fair expressed a desire to move elsewhere even before the announcement of the redevelopment of the site.
SNAP will send out reminders of major actions concerning the fairgrounds redevelopment going forward. We encourage all neighbors to make their voices heard! Our July neighborhood meeting will be held on July 16. On the agenda:
- AJ Capital Partners will present their proposal for a hotel at the May Hosiery Co-op. The hotel and some amenities are proposed for the 429 Chestnut and 1202 Brown buildings.
- Donald Frost, coordinator of the Johnson School community garden, will attend to tell us more about the garden and ways we can participate.
- Organizers of the Kindling Art Festival, a new art and theater festival that will be happening in the neighborhood August 24-26, will attend to tell us more about their plans.
Hope to see you on July 16! Questions on these notes? Email us at snaptn@gmail.com or send us a message through our Contact page.