Saturday, August 30, 2008

Future of Charlotte Avenue to Be Rolled into West Nashville Community Plan Update

Metro Planning recently sent out a letter to those who participated in the community meetings for the Charlotte Ave/Richland Creek DCDP. The "final" meeting became the next to final meeting when staff from Planning made it known that more time was needed to speak with property owners about the draft plan. Participants were told that the final meeting would occur sometime in the future and it was then the draft plan would be finalized once and for all.

However, the Community Plan for West Nashville (Subarea 7) is due for a revision and Planning thought it best to go ahead and roll the DCDP into this overall process. Below is the letter that was sent to participants:

Dear Participant in the Charlotte Avenue/Richland Creek Detailed Corridor Design Plan process,

Thank you for your participation throughout the Charlotte Ave./Richland Creek planning process. As Metro Planning staff has extended the timeline for completing the corridor study, we have reached the point where the larger West Nashville Community Plan Update (which includes Charlotte Avenue) is about to begin. In the interest of efficiency of time and resources, Metro Planning staff has decided to enfold the Charlotte Avenue corridor plan into the larger West Nashville Community Plan Update conversation. No additional meetings specifically on Charlotte Avenue will be held. Instead, Charlotte Avenue will be discussed as part of the larger West Nashville Community.

Your participation in the Charlotte Ave./Richland Creek DCDP process to this point is appreciated and the thoughts and recommendations from the DCDP process will not be lost. Rather, they will be incorporated into the West Nashville Community Plan Update process, allowing the staff to focus their attention on other portions of West Nashville.

The West Nashville Community Plan Update is scheduled to begin with a community education
meeting on Tuesday, September 30 from 6 – 8 p.m. at St. Ann’s Catholic Community (5101 Charlotte Ave. – the site of the Charlotte Ave. meetings). This will be followed by a Kick Off, Visioning Workshop, Concept Plan workshop and additional meetings to allow an iterative process for establishing community character policies to guide future growth and preservation in West Nashville. You will be sent notification of these meetings regarding the West Nashville Community Plan Update in a separate post card.

If you have any questions regarding this delay, please feel free to contact me.

Best regards,

Jennifer Carlat
Community Plans Manager
Metro Planning Department


According to the Metro Planning website, West Nashville includes the neighborhoods of Beacon Square, Belle Meade Links, Charlotte Park, Croley Wood, Hillwood Estates, Hillwood Heights, Knob Hill, Sylvan Park, Sylvan Heights, West Meade, White Bridge, The Nations, Urbandale, Robertson, Warner Park Valley, and The Highlands.

The Community Plan was last updated in 2000. A revision to each of Nashville's Community Plans usually occurs every 8-10 years. To view the information page for West Nashville and the current Community Plan, click here.

Below is a map of Subarea 7 (West Nashville). Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Planners Dream Big for Richland Park

As a result of the community feedback gained at the initial meeting for upgrading Richland Park, Hawkins Partners presented the early plans for activating Richland Park and making it a better place for all types of recreation.

The masterplan was well received and includes improvements in parking, sport courts, interior paths, and the playground. The "big picture" master plan includes sustainable elements as well. Some examples are removing a majority of the parking on the Charlotte side and turning it towards the park and replacing some of the surface with porous concrete. Also rain gardens and possibly harvesting the rain that hits the library roof and redirecting towards the grass and gardens.

Probably the most exciting addition in the plan is the return of the bandshell to Richland Park. When Richland Park began to morph into more of a public space for people rather than livestock back in the 1920's, a bandshell was constructed in the middle of the park that featured numerous performing acts.

The new bandshell would be sited near the current playground and would be facing a gently sloped green for audiences with majestic Cohn High School as its backdrop.

If and when these upgrades are implemented, it will no doubt be a positive influence on the future of Charlotte Avenue. A more active public space with such a close proximity will surely spark new and needed development along Charlotte.

More to come on the next steps for the plan. For now you can download the plan below and have a look for yourself. If you have any feedback for the Parks Department, you can email Tim Netsch (tim.netsch@nashville.gov) with any comments that you may have about the masterplan.

PDF DocumentRichland Park Master Plan

Stay tuned for details.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Second Community Meeting for Richland Park Upgrades Scheduled for August 13

The Metro Parks & Rec Department held a community meeting a few weeks ago to gather feedback and suggestions on what could be done to improve Richland Park - one of the oldest public parks in Nashville.

A second meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 13 starting at 6:30 pm. The location will remain the same in the Senior Renaissance Center on the first floor of the Cohn Adult Learning Center.

The design team and representatives from Hastings Architecture will present a masterplan and seek feedback from those in attendance.