Music Row’s Future At Stake As Community Meetings Search For Compromise

Nashville’s Music Row is trying to agree on a plan for its future — a tricky process that must navigate competing interests.

Nearly eight months ago, the Metro Planning Commission declared a temporary halt on dense development of the Row, and a public meeting that drew about 50 people Monday night to begin the search for compromise.

Residents worry about teardowns of old buildings, while developers and property owners fear government restrictions on what can be built new.

At the center are city planners like Stephanie McCullough, who is trying to balance preservation and growth.

“We’re looking at how we can grow in the future,
“ 
she said. 
“
What do we want to preserve in the future? Where can we kind of grow? What other amenities are missing to make this a community, to make it a stronger community?”

More: National Trust report, 

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Telling Music Row’s St

ory
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“It’s commercial, but it’s also residential,
“ 
she said. 
“
There’s a pretty strong neighborhood here and there’s also that community of musicians and producers and son
gwriters and everyone working together and being able to work together in such close proximity.
”

McCullough says many want to protect that vibe — but the real estate is undeniably hot. 

“The people in this room are really helping determine the direction of something that is vitally important to the foundation of our city,” District 17 Councilman Colby Sledge said. “This is not just a neighborhood overlay consideration. This is not just a design consideration. This is the very fabric of what our city was built upon.”

Resident Wishes

At the same time, residents along the iconic corridor made requests common in many neighborhoods.

“I suggested having affordable housing like they do over there towards downtown. They’ve got studios for creative people,” said longtime resident and music industry professional Terry Bell.

He also suggested a grocery store.

More:
Map of Music Row

Eddie Robba
, president of the Music Row Neighborhood Association, envisioned one property as a pocket park.

“This is the property closest to Belmont, and it’s a vacant lot that I feel needs to be a park, just to mimic what we have at the roundabout on the opposite side of Music Row­­­,” Robba said. 
“I hope this energizes people to really focus on saving Music Row and giving it the dignity and saving its history and preventing other investors, developers, from taking over what our city is named for.
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Three more meetings will continue to call for ideas and discussion before a plan is due in March.

Councilman Freddie O’Connell said he was happy to see the mix of residents, property owners, music industry representatives and realtors at the first meeting.

“I think it’s harder if any one of those groups were to think it had the only true path,” O’Connell said. “Certainly, at the end of the day, there will be people who aren’t 100 percent satisfied, but the more stakeholders you have … the more productive that is for how the city has conversations like this.”