July Community Meeting Notes

If could couldn't make our June community meeting on Monday the 16th, you can catch up on what you missed here! Shoot us an email at snaptn@gmail.com or send us a message through the website if you have any comments or questions. Our next meeting will be held on Monday, September 17 at 6PM at the SNAP Center (1224 Martin St). We’ll now open the floor at the start of each meeting for brief community announcements. We invite you to participate!

Rob Veggies and Donald Frost visited from Trap Garden, a local organization that addresses food deserts by providing good, healthy, fresh food to communities that don’t have easy access to full grocery stores. Trap Garden has a community garden at Johnson Alternative Learning Center (1200 2nd Ave. S.) They have raised garden beds available for community members to use, free of charge. Neighbors can reserve a bed and learn more at www.trapgarden.org. 

Representatives from Kindling Arts Festival announced their endeavor, which will be held August 24-26 in the neighborhood at Track One (1211 4th Ave. S.), The Flamingo (509 Houston St.), and abrasiveMedia (438 Houston St. #257). The festival will have a contemporary circus, visual art, and theater. Learn more at www.kindlingarts.com.

Uday Sehgal of the real estate development company A.J. Capital joined us with an update about the May Hosiery Co-op (429 Chestnut St.) ahead of a public zoning hearing with Metro Planning Commission. (Date and location at end of post.) The 125,000 square foot space is undergoing a renovation, and A.J. Capital is going through the zoning approval process to change the address’s zoning from industrial to mixed use. Sehgal provided the following information:

•  The co-op’s anchor tenants will be Tuck Hinton Architects and the Chicago development studio Land and Sea Dept.
• A.J. Capital is seeking approval from Metro for a boutique hotel with 41 rooms. It would not change the face or footprint of the buildings.
• They will have three parking lots totaling 200 spaces.
• Parts of the hotel will have publicly accessible amenities.

People attending the meeting voiced the following:

• An arts nonprofit director in attendance was concerned that the company is not integrating with the existing arts ecosystem in the neighborhood. Sehgal noted the neighborhood has an independent, artistic spirit that the group was originally drawn to, and the hotel brand was created to serve the creative community and “bring the space to life.” The arts nonprofit director said she doubts the creative class will be able to afford to enjoy the amenities offered. Sehgal said certain components will not be at luxury price points. An outdoor space connected to the hotel will host events that residents and artists can attend.
• A local artist in attendance took issue with the idea that they are bringing the space to life because the May Hosiery Co-op (previously May Hosiery Mill) housed artists and artisans in its studios for decades. Sehgal acknowledged the creative impact of artists in the neighborhood and said that the co-op will continue to serve the community in different ways.
• A member asked if there are plans for the train. Sehgal said, “To the extent that it’s safe, we prefer for it to be a no-blow zone.”
• Co-chair of SNAP Eric Malo circled back to affordability and changes to the neighborhood. He noted that the development group will have to put a lot of money into the renovation, which will no doubt increase rent. He said that we know projects of this scale are changing the neighborhood, and many artists who lived and worked here can no longer afford to do either. Eric said that A.J. Capital is capitalizing on the authenticity of the neighborhood and its artistic history, and he would like to see more collaboration with the community. While some embrace change, others are afraid of it, and both are valid feelings. In the “creative class,” there are different income levels, and it seems the co-op will cater to more affluent visitors. He said there are not clear or easy answers about gentrification, but it’s a disservice not to address that and speak clearly about it.  He puts the challenge forward that A.J. Capital do so and engage the community more moving forward in order to mitigate the negative effects of this change.
•  SNAP’s executive director, Kat Jones, asked about whether a hotel membership will be necessary for use of amenities. Sehgal said that if there’s a membership component, it would only apply to some amenities. Kat said they could consider a foundation that would pool money for people’s homes that are in need of repair and arts nonprofits.
• The owner of Corsair Distillery encouraged Sehgal to work with the local businesses while they’re leasing.

The zoning hearing for the property is on August 23 at 4:00 p.m. at Howard Office Building (700 2nd Ave. S.). A.J. Capital is asking that the zoning change from industrial to mixed use. This would permit a hotel. The meeting is open to the public, who can add their voices in support or dissent.  If you cannot attend, you can still contact the Commission ahead of the hearing by emailing planning.commissioners@nashville.gov, mailing a letter to Metro Planning Department, 800 2nd Avenue South, P.O. Box 196300, Nashville, TN 37219-6300, or faxing to (615) 862-7130.