The letter where I ask questions of the Metro Planning Director that journalists won't regarding "merits" that warrant special favors for developers

Writing Planning officials lately has become like trying to distract the Borg collective from their technical functions. Whereas I used to get answers to my questions back from planners under the last mayoral administration, today's Planning officials seem to ignore me. I'm also hearing rumblings from other neighborhoods that Metro Planning is ignoring Nashvillians' concerns on other issues.

Undaunted, I sent the following e-mail to Rick Bernhardt two days ago and quite predictably I have not received an answer:

I read your letter communicating your approval of consideration by the Planning Commission of May Town developer Tony Giarratana's request for commission reconsideration.

With regard to your statement that Mr. Giarratana's request is "not entirely without merit": could you be more specific? What particular merits does the request have that other such requests made in the past did not have?

Also, could you please cite examples of such special consideration that the Planning Department has given rezoning applications in the past, particularly those that your office may have recommended for Commission disapproval?

I'll update if I ever hear back from Mr. Bernhardt, but don't hold your breaths.


UPDATE: Planning spokesperson Craig Owensby responds that Mr. Bernhardt could not respond to my e-mail since he has been on vacation since before July 15, the day I e-mailed him and the day his letter to Tony Giarratana is dated in the Tennessean. Looks like CM Lonnell Matthews screwed up a lot of people's July vacations by shoving May Town down Nashville's throat mid-summer.