Radnor Lake state natural area in Nashville will grow by 52 acres. Officials announced Friday that the newly-preserved land will defend scenic views against development and protect at least one endangered plant species.
The area could also create a new park access, relieving congestion at the current visitor center.
The land fills in a key piece of the
Radnor Lake puzzle. The forested ridge will expand the area to the southeast. The land rises within view of Interstate 65 close to the border between Nashville and Brentwood.
Protecting it guarantees that tall homes or cellphone towers won’t be visible from a new observation deck built at the edge of the lake.
“It is the first time in our history — 42-plus years — that we’re going to be able to say that the southeastern viewshed is now protected forever,” said park manager Steve Ward.
He’s seen Radnor Lake grow in popularity over 15 years. So much so that on weekends, long lines of cars form at the parking lot.
That will be lessened, he says, by a new access point from Franklin Pike, which has long been a “dream.”
“This one is critical because it is actually our first opportunity to relieve pressure off our current resources,” Ward said. “It is something that we can do to affect, positively, the visitor experience — or enhance it — from what they’ve become accustomed to since 1973.”
The appeal, Ward says, is how wild Radnor Lake remains while still being close to the city.
“It’s real simple,” he said, “people want to get back in tune with nature. They want to unplug for a little while without having to drive five hours out of Nashville to do that … They come here to unwind and unplug, to escape all the white noise.”
Long-term, he also pictures connections to a nearby greenway and into Brentwood. He said that’s a change from an old way of thinking that he describes as “build a box and protect it.”
“We’ve got to start thinking of connecting,” he said. “It’s just smart planning. But it also goes against past trends.”
The land deal comes amid mounting subdivision development pressures in the area just six miles from downtown.
The family selling the land offered it at a discount of about a million dollars, down to approximately $2.4 million. That’s similar to the deal the same family provided in 2011, when other acres were sold for about $1 million, down from $2.1 million.
Protection For Wild Dill
While the property to be acquired was already desirable, Ward said six populations of endangered wild dill were found, adding another layer to the preservation project.
The small plant produces a white flower in mid-May each year.
“We removed some invasive plants as part of a hike campaign we were doing on a different piece of property, and this plant popped up everywhere,” he said.
The
Friends of Radnor group still needs to raise money for the new land, and will host 52 fundraising hikes beginning the day after Thanksgiving. The group has hosted about 200 such events since 2013.
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