May Town Fails Planning Commission Vote

After nearly a year of discussion, the proposed May Town Center project did not pass the Metro Planning Commission Thursday night.

Planning Commissioners had to take two votes on the May Town plan. The first was a land-use policy and the second was a zone change to allow for the several hundred acres of corporate office, retail and residential development.

For reasons ranging from too high a density, to protection of the rural character of the area, commissioners failed to pass the land-use policy. Since the zone change was contingent on the land-use approval, it failed too. Developer Tony Girratana says he was disappointed in the vote, but the plan isn’t dead yet.

“We’re confident that this project is the right project for Nashville, Davidson County. We’ll be proceeding to the Metro Council on July seven, and we don’t have to wait very long to find out.”

The Metro Council can vote on bills that don’t pass the Planning Commission, but they must have 27 votes instead of the usual 21.

While opponents of the project were pleased with the outcome, Planning Director Rick Bernhardt says the May Town process illustrates a lack of consensus on future development.

“The community has to come to grips with how do we make those shifts to really encourage redevelopment, protect neighborhoods and do it. And you’ve got to do it in a global sense because every project is going to defeated on its own.”

While everyone talks about wanting economic growth, Bernhardt says they don’t want to sacrifice their individual neighborhoods or properties.

WEB EXTRA:

The Planning Commission voted twice on the land-use policy itself. The first time a motion was made to disapprove the land-use policy that allowed for May Town. This failed six to four. That means anyone who voted against the motion was actually for the project. One the second motion to approve the land-use policy, they tied, with five to five. Commissioner Victor Tyler changed his vote, but wouldn’t comment on the switch after the meeting.

Since the Planning Commission must approve bills with six votes, the land-use failed on the second vote. The zone-change request for May Town center was contingent upon the approval of the land-use policy so that failed too.