Letter from Salemtown Neighbors Neighborhood Association Opposing Exemptions for Car Washes Sent to Metro Council and Mayor

SNNA's Executive Board sent the following letter to Metro Council and Mayor Bill Purcell this morning:

January 30, 2007


Dear Members of the Metro Council and Honorable Mayor Purcell:

We write you to convey our neighborhood association’s opposition to Metro Council Resolution BL2006-1178, which would exempt car washes from categories of businesses permitted only pursuant to a specific plan approved by the Planning Commission and Metro Council. Salemtown Neighbors supports the calls of other associations—most notably White Bridge, Glencliff, Sylvan Park, and others—that car wash owners and developers not be given special treatment or favorable exception from the Council’s earlier resolution requiring certain business owners to consult neighborhood groups and the District Council Member before planning and developing properties.

We are concerned that this bill’s sponsors have failed to address popular objections about substantial increases in traffic volume off arterial streets and into the neighborhoods as the result of new car washes. We are also concerned about allegations that promises made to affected neighborhood groups to defer this bill before it went to Public Hearing were not kept, and as a result neighborhood leaders missed the opportunity to communicate their objections in a public forum. Finally, we are concerned that this resolution sets the bad precedent of encouraging businesses to use the Metro Council as a “back door” to exempt themselves from their responsibility to be good neighbors in local communities.

We call upon each of you to oppose this bill on February 6, but we especially ask our District Council Member, Ludye Wallace to withdraw his support for Resolution BL2006-1178, which we do not believe to be beneficial for our neighborhood. We hope that the addition of our voices to the growing collection of opponents of BL2006-1178 will help check the bill’s momentum. Thank you for your service to our community.

Sincerely,


The Salemtown Neighbors Neighborhood Association Executive Board:
Alan Maloney, President
Carolyn Williams, Vice President
Lynn Hutcheson, Secretary
Kyle Pendleton, Treasurer
Michael Byrd, Board Member
Donna Keeney, Board Member