Letters Supporting Bells Bend Needed for Planning Commission Now!

Take note:

Dear Friend of Bells Bend,

We need your help one more time before the July 24th Planning Commission Meeting.

The planning commissioners have not heard from many Bells Bend supporters. It is CRITICAL that they hear from us over the next 3 days.

Please email all of the planning commissioners ... even if you have already written the planning department and your councilman. This communication can be brief, 1-2 paragraphs, expressing 2-3 of the most important reasons why you are AGAINST the May Town Development and FOR an outdoor recreational, agricultural and rural residential conservation district in the Beaman Park to Bells Bend Corridor.

Below are a few points of communication for your letter - if you need them, but it is most effective if your letter is in your own words.

• Every federal, state and metro dollar spent on the bridge and the development is a dollar taken away from the other 34 council districts and their neglected and aging infrastructure - infrastructure already in existence, overdue for repair, and lacking in funding.
• There are hidden costs in the May Town Development. The developer has said this will be built at no cost to Metro – so, who will pay for the construction and maintenance of new roads, schools, water/sewer/electric infrastructure, general services, a firehall, a police station…the expenses go on and on… these costs will be paid for by you, the taxpayer, and will reduce any projected revenue generated by MTC.
• May Town Development will become a second “downtown” – it will compete with our existing urban core for funds, crippling 20 years of successful investment in Downtown Nashville's revitalization. It will take years for Downtown Nashville to recover from a set-back.
• May Town Development will spur the Atlantification of Nashville – Progressive, successful cities like Chattanooga, Portland, Seattle and Charlotte are wisely saying NO TO SPRAWL by developing existing urban brown fields and infill sites, while proactively planning for conservation of open space. And they are still thriving economically!! May Town Development will redirect the energy and resources for similar mixed-use projects in communites desperately needing the economic boost, will move jobs further away from population centers needing the jobs, and will undermine the making of a truly livable city.
• 100 years from now, what will define a truly authentic, livable city that's held up as a model of A Great American City? One with six lane bridges to “Anywhere, USA” with corporate/retail theme parks (that have long since been abandoned) OR one that was forward-thinking and established a model conservation district with unique land uses on one of the last of the precious open spaces left in this country.
• We have a bigger and better vision, The Third Vision - that this area should become Davidson County’s backyard - an outdoor recreational, agricultural and rural residential conservation district – a place where Nashvillians and tourists play, hike, bike, grow and pick local food, fish, retreat to a Musician's Retreat Center, or just look at the stars – a unique asset for Nashvillians to take refuge from the noise, lights, and man-built environment of the city. This was done in Adirondack Park by people with great vision and could be done here.
• A City of the Future plans for conservation in the same way they plan for development. It should be extremely desirable for Nashville, with all its other amenities, to also have a model conservation district that serves as a county, state and regional planning model for open space preservation. A model conservation district could help retain the heart of Nashville’s character, distinguishing us from other cities, rather than creating another bridge to “Anywhere USA”.

Please email the planning commissioners listed at the link [rick.bernhardt@nashville.gov] ... and please cc: me a copy of the letter - we will be distributing hard copies to the planning commission office on Monday morning and want your letter in that stack !!

http://www.tennessee.sierraclub.org/0708ts.pdf

Thank you for doing this - this is absolutely critical at this time - one more push and we're almost there!

Please forward this call to others and ask them to write letters too !!


Alicia Batson
Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Community
http://www.bellsbend.org/
615-299-1661
crackerlake@comcast.net