The Price of Growth
🏘 Problems with managing Nashville's growth · Sexton wants to Soros-proof TN · Did an illegal obtain a REAL ID in TN? · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. How Nashville fails to manage growth... Sexton wants to Soros-proof TN... Was the Nashville woman detained by ICE issued a REAL ID in TN?... And much more!
The Battle for Nashville's Soul Join us Thursday, March 26th for a discussion with developer and advocate Chris Remke as we dig into the city's actions around zoning and property taxes. (Buy Ticket)
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The importance of land use laws in a world in flux.
From Davis Hunt
Thursday evening, we’re hosting an event with Chris Remke. If you pay any amount of attention to what’s happening in Metro government, you’re probably familiar with his handy work.
Those green Save Our Nashville Neighborhoods yard signs you see around town are the fruits of his labor. And the increasingly organized pushback to the city’s Clear, Hold, Build approach to dealing with pushback to their initiatives is also downstream of his efforts.
I was telling a friend about Chris, and more broadly, the fight over zoning laws in the city last week, and he responded, “Yeah, but they’re dropping bombs in the Middle East. Artificial Intelligence is going to replace all of us. And you’re focused on zoning laws in Nashville?”
“Well, yes,” I replied.
How our cities approach growth and manage the demands of the people living in them is the most vital and pressing question in front of us, in my opinion.
If the standard of Democracy fails at the most granular level in the country’s most important domestic assets, then I think we have a real problem.
The zoning fight in Nashville is one such example where, despite the protestations of residents, the remaking of Nashville continues without missing a beat, as councilmembers work hand-in-glove with the planning department to wring every ounce of speculative value out of every square inch of dirt in this city.
To Metro, your opposition is simply a speed bump. A minor inconvenience they diffuse through procedural shortcuts and “listening sessions” while covering both ears.
Chris has not only revealed fundamental problems with the city’s thinking about this issue, but effectively galvanized a truly grass roots following around the issue. You will want to hear what he has to say Thursday night. Get your tickets here.
P.S. As a side note, we price these events at $50 because we are a reader supported publication. The ticket not only gets you access to the event, but helps us keep the lights on.
We love hosting these events and keeping you abreast of happenings in and around Nashville everyday. If you are interested in making a larger, tax-deductible donation, you can do so here.
✹ DOES NASHVILLE WANT YOU TO STAY?
The Zoning Phantom Leadeth the Taxman Zoning, land use, and property tax disputes have animated political discussions in Nashville since Mayor Freddie O'Connell first took office in September 2023.
Through his Substack, Built to Think, and organization, Save Our Nashville Neighborhoods, Chris Remke has emerged as the city’s most potent critic of the Metro agenda. He's effectively drawn attention to everything from Nashville’s inflated growth projections to the smoke-and-mirrors assurances given to homeowners about how upzoning would affect them, and most recently, the betrayal of local businesses now saddled with unwieldy tax bills.
Join us Thursday evening, March 26th, for a wide-ranging discussion on what Metro is trying to achieve and where they've gone wrong.
This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer, Nashville, and priced with that in mind. Bard-level subscribers receive free admittance.
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
Who bankrolls your councilmember? We analyzed every donation to every council member to show you whether they're funded by their constituents or someone else. Higher grades go to those who raise more money locally. (Take a Look)
🚨 Soros-proofing TN “We're going to Soros-proof the state of Tennessee once and for all,” stated Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) during yesterday’s roundtable with President Trump.
Not only does Tennessee plan to lead the nation with model illegal immigration policy, but Sexton says legislators are taking on “woke and soft-on-crime DAs.”
One example is Representative John Gillespie's (R-Memphis) and Senator Brent Taylor’s (R-Memphis) Memphis Safe Task Force Accountability Act. The bill requires DAs presiding over task force cases to submit a report if they decline to prosecute the offense, the defendant gets a plea deal, the charges are lowered, or the case is dismissed.
There are also two competing bills that would establish additional judgeships in Memphis’ criminal court to help with the caseload. In 2024, Governor Bill Lee signed legislation that eliminated two judgeships in the county and reassigned them to other judicial districts across Tennessee.
From Megan Podsiedlik
HEADLINES
- 🪪 Nashville woman arrested by ICE obtained REAL ID despite law blocking licenses for illegals. A status update submitted to a federal court last Friday claimed the Colombian journalist arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this month, Estefany Rodriguez Flores, has been issued a REAL ID, even though Tennessee law prohibits illegal aliens from obtaining a driver’s license. (TN Star)
- 💊 CVS spends $1.3M on anti-FAIR Rx Act ads. The commercial pharmacy is pushing back on Tennessee legislation aimed at protecting independent pharmacies and improving patient access. (Post)
- 📚 State Board of Education probes MNPS about underperforming schools. A special accountability committee grilled leaders from Metro Nashville Public Schools on Monday, asking for detailed plans from the district to turn around six schools with “F” ratings. (Banner)
- 📢 Traveler charged after shouting profanities at TSA on BNA speaker. Along with hijacking the airport-wide PA system to shout at agents, the man also exited a taxi on the third level, refused to pay the $30 fare, and tried to punch the taxi driver in the face. (WKRN)
- 🎭 Investigation underway into incident involving actor Alan Ritchson. The Brentwood Police Department confirmed that officers are investigating an incident involving ‘Reacher’ actor Alan Ritchson and another man. (WSMV4)
DEVELOPMENT
- Hamilton Development pursues 152-acre industrial park near Nashville (NBJ)
- New downtown hotel, Motto, debuts with hundreds of micro-rooms (NBJ)
- Billionaire couple donates West Palm Beach property to Vanderbilt (Post)
- Margaritaville Hotel building sells for $70M (Post)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
✨ Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño & Friends @ The Blue Room, 7p, $39.01, Info
🎸 Sweet Pill @ The Basement East, 8p, $27.32, Info
🪕 Tin Pan South @ Multiple Venues, Info
🎸 Honky Tonk Tuesday @ Eastside Bowl, 8p, $10, Info
+ two-step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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Finish Repealing Tennessee’s CON LawsToday's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.