Nashville says future development on East Bank must consider flooding

As the Tennessee Titans plan for a new stadium, Nashville is planning to transform the land surrounding it — an area dubbed the “East Bank.”

The city wants to flip the current dynamic of widespread asphalt and limited green space and create a buffer of vegetation between the river and any future development.

City officials say this will lessen flood impacts, but they don’t know how effective the proposed green space will be at reducing water surges yet.

“It’s highly technical. I think we have to engage in very robust work and modeling work to understand what that needs to look like to be adequately protective,” said Kendra Abkowitz, the city’s sustainability chief. “That work has not occurred yet. That would be the next stage.”

Green buffers that extend through floodplains help support healthy river ecosystems and could provide other benefits like heat reduction and riverine habitat for migrating birds.

The city’s current planning document outlines possibilities for development in the 100-year and 500-year floodplains. Most of the East Bank sits within the 500-year floodplain.

“If development does occur there, it’s going to be as protected as possible from future flooding risks,” Abkowitz said.