Dickerson Road, a place long known for prostitution and drug-dealing, could be the next Nashville neighborhood eligible for development tax breaks. The Metro Council will take up a proposed redevelopment project for the area tonight.
Used car dealerships and vacant lots litter this mile-stretch of Dickerson Road where Marty Lang has owned a transmission-repair shop for 25-years. Lang is the vice-president of the Dickerson Road Merchant’s Association. He says the so-called “Skyline Redevelopment Project” is the next step after getting rid of much of the area’s crime.
“You know, we spent a lot of time working through these different agencies to clean it up and what we wanted to get rid of is all the illegal operations–Motels that weren’t doing the right things, uhm, a lot of illegal stuff going on.”
The redevelopment district covers 148 parcels–many with impressive views of downtown–along Dickerson from the interstate interchange to just past Douglas Avenue. According to the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, 26-percent of the properties are vacant.
MDHA will oversee the plan, and will determine which projects are eligible for tax-increment financing. That’s where developers can use some of the property tax revenue generated by new buildings to defray construction costs.
Not all business owners along Dickerson are excited about the proposal, with several saying they’re concerned about the government limiting which businesses will be allowed or giving MDHA the ability to confiscate property. Once current businesses are sold, no nightclubs, liquor stores, or car washes can be licensed to operate on this section of Dickerson.
The Skyline proposal will be on its first of three readings at tonight’s Metro Council meeting. A companion bill setting a public hearing on the project for March 18th is also on the agenda.
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