May Town Hearing Today

The future of a major development in Bells Bend could hinge on a Metro hearing today.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss whether they will revisit the May Town Center’s zoning application.

Commissioners rejected May Town last month, but developers said procedural errors were made and requested a “redo”.

Today’s discussion will only determine if there’s another hearing. It doesn’t guarantee May Town’s zoning approval.

Meanwhile, there are questions about the legitimacy of a poll that says there is “wide support” for May Town. The project’s lead developer Tony Giarratanna contracted a political pollster to gauge support for May Town. According to results released yesterday, 50% of those surveyed voiced support while 40% said they were opposed to it; 10% were unsure. The +/- 4.9%margin of error shows the poll isn’t as clear-cut as promoted.

The attorney representing opponents of the project told the Tennessean it was a “push poll” that asked leading questions.

University of Alabama-Birmingham’s Larry Powell conducted the survey with a random sample of 400 registered voters by phone July 17 – 19.