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tracking east bank development milestones

At the Jan. 22, 2024, East Bank Committee meeting, Chief Development Officer Bob Mendes laid out a set of development milestones. Just for fun, here are some countdown widgets to track how much time is left to meet each milestone. Within 2 years, start 300 residential units and 1 other building: Within 6 years, start a total of 700 residential units: Within 10 years, start a total of 1,250 residential units: ~~ Disclaimer: While I am an employee of Metro Nashville Public Schools, and therefore Metro Nashville Government, the views expressed on this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer or the city.
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a new transit line (barely in) nashville

The new Route 70 will connect from Charlotte Pike Walmart, end of line for Route 50, over to the Coley Davis Park and Ride, end of line for Route 3B, then continue to the new James Lawson High School. The route will operate on an hourly frequency from approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. So, a new transit line is coming to Nashville. This can only be good news, right? Umm. Well. Yes, it is good news, but I also have some more complicated thoughts to unpack about it. (Route map from WeGo. You can view more details about the route  here ) This route will provide service to the new James Lawson High School, which is a big deal. While yellow school buses provide access to school for zoned students, having access to a WeGo route allows students from out of zone to attend the school and could provide a way home for students who are staying after for sports, clubs, or other extracurricular activities. But there are many other high schools in Nashville that don't have access to transit

this broadway viaduct bridge project is quite embarassing

Just months after Nashville adopted a vision zero plan, TDOT and NDOT are choosing to replace the Broadway Viaduct bridge with a seven-lane superhighway instead of providing safe convenient multimodal connections on this already high-utilized route. While this plan does call for some “slightly less than 10’ sidewalks”, the design should also incorporate dedicated and concrete protected bike lanes for use by cyclists and scooters, and other design elements to ensure safety for all road users. As you can see on Page 33 of the Nashville State of Downtown Mobility Report, this stretch of roadway is the most traveled by scooters every day: (View the full report here: https://www.nashville.gov/sites/default/files/2022-11/Nashville_State_of_Downtown_Mobility_Report_FINAL_October2022.pdf?ct=1667405651 ). While the sidewalks will make a slight improvement for pedestrians, the vast majority of the 300 daily scooter trips will likely opt to ride on the sidewalk instead of on the 7-lane roadway d

i don't want to buy a new titans stadium

I'm planning to share a similar version of this during Metro Council's pre-budget public comment period tonight, if I'm able to get off the waitlist. I'm a middle school math teacher and the son of an accounting professor and an auditor, so budget season is actually a really fun time for me. I spend hours each month keeping track of where my money is coming from and going, and I love digging into data and seeing how the numbers for my city add up — or don't. As we enter this year's budget season, one idea that's been popping around in the news is that the Titans need a new stadium. But as a resident of Nashville and recent property owner in Nashville, I don't want to buy the Titans a new stadium. I think they can buy their own stadium. Before digging into the financial implications of this, I do need to take a moment and say that the Titans really don't need a new stadium. The Titans had one of the best seasons I can remember this year, so the stadiu

school board votes to end mask mandate

The MNPS Board voted tonight to end their universal mask mandate on March 11, signing onto director Adrienne Battle's recommendation. Fran Bush voted no. Sharon Gentry was absent. I'll add an embed of the video once it's posted on YouTube. Of course, Fran Bush's "no" vote wasn't because she wanted the mask mandate to remain in effect; rather, she wanted it to be removed effective immediately. As usual, student board members Abenezer Haile and Angelie Quimbo had some of the more articulate comments of the evening. They gave some clear reasoning, provided evidence albeit anecdotal, and, most importantly, kept their comments relatively brief. But what stuck out to me most was the director recommendation part. I tried long and hard to think of a time that this board has voted against any of Battle's recommendations, and I can't think of one. Now, I haven't been watching school board meetings closely for all that long — really just the better part o