Meeting, VU SP, Community Character

[Cash, Thomas (Council Member)]

All- I hope you’re able to attend tonight’s meeting at Eakin at 6 about the Vanderbilt Innovation SP and proposed Community Character change. There have been many discussions with Vanderbilt, the Hillsboro West End Neighbors, other neighbors and constituents. I think some good progress has been made with still a good number of things to work through. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and questions with me.

First I want to share the “community character” part of the meeting. It is something that came out of my discussions with Planning and prompted a condition that Planning would propose a community character policy change that disallowed “university institutional” in parts of HWEN, especially near 31st across from campus and the proposed innovation district. 

It came up because of the issues surrounding the eminent domain issues from the 1960s and 70s which I believe is still a fear within HWEN that something similar- at least institutional expansion- could happen here. This policy would guide any future rezones to disallow institutional uses and protect residential uses. The discussion may decide the proposed map needs to be expanded, or we need a deeper dive into character policy for the area before approval by the Planning Commission. I’m attaching the policy language amendment from Planning.

The bill's public hearing is Aug 4 at Council (1 Public Square). The meeting starts at 6:30 and public hearings are early in the agenda. 

I’m also linking some of the relevant documents to the SP:

Preliminary SP

SP Conditions from Planning, NDOT, other Metro Departments stemming from earlier community engagement.

Vanderbilt Concession letter 1

HWEN Recommended Improvements 

Vanderbilt Response- Concession letter 2

SP Legislation

Hope to see you soon!

Tom Cash

Council Member District 18

(615) 268-8748

Council Committees: Rules, Confirmations and Public Elections, Chairperson; Transportation and Infrastructure; Charter Revision; past committees: 

Past Chair Codes, Fairgrounds and Farmer’s Market; Education (Vice Chairperson) Special Committee on Child Care (Chairperson)