Hello neighbors,

 

Fall has arrived, and with it comes a familiar reset: turning our clocks back, preparing for the holidays, and making our plans for Election Day. As our calendars fill, I’m grateful for the connections that make our district, neighborhoods, and community, home. 

 

Coming out of October, I’m also carrying its observances with me. Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month remind me how much care happens quietly—in families, among friends, and through the organizations helping people navigate difficult days. LGBTQ+ History Month reminds me of the courage it takes to build a community where everyone belongs. These observances mean more when we carry their lessons into everyday life: checking on a neighbor, listening without judgment, sharing resources, and showing up.

 

While here is plenty to catch up on across our streets, schools, parks, and greenways, I appreciate each of you that reach out. We have so many smaller or issue specific meetings over the past several months, it is nice to get back to reach out to you with community wide updates. Thank you to everyone who emailed, attended meetings, met or talked with me, volunteered, and kept asking thoughtful questions. So much of this work begins with a neighbor raising a hand.

 

Below are the highlights, what comes next, and opportunities to connect.

 

Warmest regards,

Brenda Gadd (she/her)
Councilmember for District 24
📍 Find out if you live in District 24
📬 Email Brenda.Gadd@Nashville.Gov for Metro assistance.
🌐 Use hub.nashville.gov for non-emergency Metro needs.

 

🗳️ Election Day is TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 🗳️

 

This year’s ballot includes Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Tennessee Senate and House, and three statewide constitutional amendments. Belle Meade, Forest Hills, and Goodlettsville residents will also vote in city races. The races on your ballot depend on your address.
👉 See the official Davidson County sample ballot
👉 Preview your personal ballot on GoVoteTN

 

The amendments come right after the Governor’s race. The ACLU-TN attorneys have reviewed all amendments if you want to learn more. Do not forget to make your way to the end of the ballot. 
👉 Resource: ACLU of Tennessee on the 2026 amendments

 

See you at the polls! 🗳️

 

 

This spring NDOT marked Bowling Ave for up to 12 speed cushions as part of a citywide bikeway project, without the usual neighborhood notice. When you raised concerns, I worked with NDOT to pause the work and reset. After community engagement, community meeting, and gathering input directly from you the updated plan is now ready.  The updated plan removes the speed cushions entirely and works to protect the crosswalks and bikelanges. The final plan, from just south of Bellwood Ave to Whitland Ave, adds solar flashing beacons at the crosswalks, rumble strips painted before each crossing (no bumps), brighter crossing signs, and bike lanes separated by flexible posts. NDOT also lowered the speed limit on Bowling, from West End Ave to Woodmont Blvd, from 35 to 30 mph. Installation is expected to be complete before the end of the year. I know some neighbors still have concerns about the bike lane protection posts. If you see access or safety problems once they're in, please tell me. You can view the final plan online or I can email you a copy of it for review. 

 

 

Property owners on Estes Road, from Woodlawn Dr to Woodmont Blvd, voted on NDOT's speed-cushion plan from July 20 to Sept 5. 47% voted yes, short of the 66% required, so cushions won't go in. Instead, the plan is being updated to add radar speed feedback signs, and the treatment at the park crosswalk stays. I'll share installation timing as soon as NDOT sets it but we expect to have additional safety measures that we are allowed to install around the crosswalk at Woodmont park. I am working to advance those. 

 

 

Woodmont Boulevard is no longer a planned transit corridor. Nashville's long-range growth map, part of NashvilleNext, still labeled Woodmont Blvd a high-capacity transit corridor, even though it hasn't been in Metro's transit plans for years. That label came with "Transition" areas that signal more intense development along the street, including near streets like Woodmont, Hampton, and a couple of other neighborhood streets.  As I committed to during the Housing and Infrastructure proposals that were adopted, I worked with planning to update the maps to officially recognize the lates transit plans therefore officially removing these streets. Thank you to the planning department for hosting in coordination with me meetings this fall, and thank you to neighborhood leaders. I spoke at the Planning Commission at a public meeting this fall, and it approved the update: Woodmont's transition areas now follow the Neighborhood policy. This doesn't change anyone's current zoning; it brings the long-range map in line with how Metro already plans for this street. Thank you to the neighbors who raised this and kept at it.

 

 

Neighbors on Greenway Glen Way, by the Richland Creek Greenway entrance, are testing a temporary "slow shared street" with planters, reflective markers and signs to slow traffic where kids play. Every household signed on, neighbors counted cars and walkers this fall, and the permit is in NDOT's final engineering review. Installation is tentatively set for second week of November. I will work with the neighborhood to host a virtual community meeting for more feedback. Thank you to the neighbors who reached out to work together to engage withi NDOT's tactical urbanism project and the Civic Design Center over the past several months to solve a problem they are facing. 

 

 

A developer plans to replace the Kimberly Apartments with a four-story condo building of about 55 feet on a stretch of West End designated a scenic highway. More than 90 neighbors came to the Sept 30th community meeting I hosted with the neighborhood associations of Whitland and Richland West End. and many of you wrote to the Board of Zoning Appeals and me. On Oct 7 the BZA case was withdrawn: the developer trimmed the top corners of the building to fit within the zoning height limit, and Codes approved the revised plan. Metro's position, based on a 2000 state Attorney General opinion, is that the 35-foot scenic highway limit does not currently apply in Davidson County. On Oct 6, the Whitland Area Neighborhood Association with support of Richland West End Neighborhood Assocciation filed a lawsuit asking a court to confirm the 35-foot limit; Whitland Neighborhood Association posts updates at whitland.org. The full update explains the legal question. I will continue to support neighbors advocating and happy to answer questions. 

 

Thank you to Billy Corr at Clarendale for inviting me to meet with residents. Following that meeting, I worked with the Traffic and Parking Commission to advance an additional stop sign to be located for the senior center's frequent transportation and after evaluation it was approved.

 

👉 A brand-new McCabe Park playground. Friends of McCabe Park spent three years and raised more than $400,000, working with the Nashville Parks Foundation and Metro Parks, to replace a 20-year-old playground. It reopened May 15, and a donor recognition plaque is on the way. It was an honor to work with departments and sponsor the council resolution for the funding.

 

👉 McCabe Park Little League field upgrades. The League has invested in our ballfields at no cost to taxpayers, and the Council accepted each gift: improvements to the small field (May 2025), a new batting cage on the big field valued at about $29,600, so every field has a cage (Nov 2025), and new lighting for the small field (May 2026). The League pays for installation and upkeep. Thank you to every volunteer coach and board member. It was an honor to work with the league and parks department, and sponsor the resolution for the funding.

 

👉 Elmington Park playground. In July I sponsored a council resolution that accepted a Nashville Parks Foundation grant for improvements to the Elmington Park playground.

 

👉 Eagle Scouts giving back. Hayden Sava of Troop 31 replaced the cracked and worn mile marker posts along the Richland Creek Greenway for his Eagle Scout project, working with Greenways for Nashville, the Metro Parks carpentry shop, McCabe Golf Course and our District 24 Beautification Commissioner, Kate Parrish. His brother Hunter earned his Eagle last year with a project in Cherokee Park – a picnic table and place to come together in their neighborhood. Congratulations to both young men and the whole Sava family. Next time you pass a mile marker, think of Hayden. This summer we had the chance to celebrate them as I gave them a plaque to recognize their work.

🚧 Interuptions + Improvements 🚧

 

Spire (formerly Piedmont Gas and Duke Energy) is replacing about 400 feet of exposed gas main near the CSX underpass at Sloan and Cherokee Roads. Expect one-way traffic with flaggers Monday–Saturday, 8:30 am–5 pm, and steel plates after hours. Walkers can still pass under the bridge, no trees will be removed, and crews plan to finish by Thanksgiving. Neighbors have shared that the road closure is happening earlier than 8:30 am impacting their travel to work and school. I am working with Metro and Spire to address. 

 

 

The boardwalk from the end of Colorado Ave to 51st Ave closed Oct 12 for replacement and should reopen around Christmas, weather permitting. Elsewhere on the greenway, I had the chance to work with Hayden and Hunter Save of Cherokee Park as they worked on their Eagle Scout projects. This has resulted in replacing  worn mile markers and a picnic sitting area in Cherokee Park. Also, a big thank you Sylvan Park neighbors and Harpeth Conservancy cleaned up the creek in October. I'm also continued to ask Metro Parks for dog waste stations and more trash cans along the trail.

 

💡 Things Good to Know 💡

Nashville Waste Services adjusted its holiday schedule for the rest of the year. Only the route that falls on the holiday moves; every other day is collected as normal. Veterans Day: Wednesday routes are picked up Mon, Nov 9. Thanksgiving: Thursday routes are picked up Mon, Nov 30 (the day after Thanksgiving is collected as normal). Christmas: Friday routes are picked up Mon, Dec 28 (Christmas Eve is collected as normal). New Year's Day: Friday routes are picked up Mon, Jan 4. Check your day or set reminders in the Nashville Waste & Recycling app or at Nashville Waste Services.

 

💰 Grocery tax cut: As of Nov 1, Nashville's local tax on groceries is 22% lower, about $8–9 million a year back in residents' pockets. We approved this along with our Metro budget this summer at council.

 

💉 Free flu shots: Metro Public Health offers free flu shots at its clinics for the rest of flu season: Lentz (2500 Charlotte Ave), East Nashville and Woodbine Public Health Centers. Clinic details.

 

 💵 Property tax help for older and disabled homeowners: Income limits are higher this year: $38,470 for Tax Relief and $63,470 for the Tax Freeze in Davidson County. Apply by April 5, 2027 at nashville.gov/trustee or (615) 862-6330.

 

💧 Flood risk notice: Metro Water mailed flood-risk letters to about 18,000 properties in a floodplain. If you got one, see Flood Risk Information.

 

🚎 WeGo winter changes: New service, including more frequent buses on key routes, starts Jan 3, 2027. Details at wegotransit.com.

 

🌳 Parks plan: The Metro Parks Board approved the 2026 update to Plan to Play, the master plan that guides how Nashville's parks and greenways grow. Read about it here.

 

📅 Save the date, May 16, 2027: The Nashville Women's Triathlon stages from Centennial Sportsplex, and its bike course will close some streets around Centennial Park and Sylvan Park that morning. I'll share the route closer to race day.

 

🏥 Medical equipment at home? NES's Critical Referral Program adds protections and outage communication for customers who rely on life-sustaining medical equipment. Enroll at nespower.com/critical-referral-program, and please share it with a neighbor who might qualify. Winter storms are coming.

 

💴 For our small businesses: The Council approved new Metro grants for small businesses. The Legacy Business Program supports longtime neighborhood fixtures, with applications expected to open in early November for at least 30 days. Workforce Advancement grants of up to $10,000 help pay for employee training. The Property Investment program now covers buildings valued up to $2 million and interior improvements. Details and applications from the Mayor's Office of Economic and Community Development.

 

📍 Historic places: Metro will start work in 2027 on Nashville's first citywide preservation plan since 1998, with Preserve Nashville and other partners. I'll share ways to weigh in.

 

🔑 Lock it, take the keys: Metro Police report that over 600 guns were stolen from vehicles in Nashville so far this year, about 68% of all gun thefts in the county. Lock your car, take your keys and never leave a gun or valuables inside.

 

🚌 Free transit and money help: Journey Pass gives qualifying Davidson County residents free WeGo fares for three years; check eligibility here. The Nashville Financial Empowerment Center offers free one-on-one financial counseling (budgeting, debt, savings) in English and Spanish. Book an appointment.

 

♻️ Donate instead of tossing: Simplify Nashville runs seasonal collection drives for household items that can go to neighbors in need, like sealed plastic utensils (54 pounds collected this spring) and new toiletries this summer. Follow Simplify Nashville on Instagram or Facebook for the next drive.

 

 

👉 Sat, Nov 7, 9 am–noon: Sylvan Park tree planting. Help plant 33 new street trees. Meet at the lot at 44th Ave N and Park Ave. Register here.

 

👉 Sun, Nov 15th, Charlotte Ave. and 51st Ave. tree planting with Cumberland River Compact. Reach out if you want to volunteer by replying to this email.

 

👉 Sat, Dec 5: Kingfisher Creek restoration with the Whitland Area Neighborhood Association, clearing invasive privet along Rolland Road before new trees go in. Save the date! The registration will be ready closer to the date.

 

👉 Organize your own: NDOT lends tools for neighborhood cleanups for free, including weed wrenches for pulling invasives. Work with Kate Parrish, our beautification commissioner and me, to set up your own tree planting, clean up or another effort. Find cleanup events at StopLitter.Nashville.gov.

 

 

🛑 Bring a slow street to your block. NDOT's Tactical Urbanism Program helps neighbors test low-cost changes like planters, painted intersections and play streets. You'll need a sponsor group, neighbor support and liability insurance. Learn more on NDOT's Tactical Urbanism page, email tactical.urbanism@nashville.gov, or contact my office, and I'll help you get started.

 

📢 Weigh in on citywide projects through Metro's open surveys at engage.nashville.gov.

 

🌳 Take the 2026 Greenways Challenge: Greenways for Nashville challenges everyone to walk, run, ride or roll every Nashville greenway this year, and more than 500 people are already working on it. Our own Richland Creek Greenway counts. Thank you to those who joined me a couple of months ago to do a an audit with Greenways for Nashville and Free to Move. Details at greenwaysfornashville.org.

 

🗣️ Speak a language other than English? The Metro Human Relations Commission wants to hear how easy it is to get Metro services in your language. Survey is available here. 

 

🌳 Lawn Sessions at Richland Park: Friends of Richland Park's free music series wraps up Sunday, Nov 8 on the lawn behind the library. Check the instagram page for Friends of Richland Park to get the latest. Bring your own picnic, a blanket or lawn chairs. Friends of Richland Park is also shaping a long-term master plan for the park after more than 150 neighbors answered its survey; follow along by emailing friendsofrichlandpark@gmail.com.

 

📚 Free author talk, Sat, Nov 7, 10 am: Nashville Public Library Foundation's Literary Award honoree Ocean Vuong speaks at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in conversation with Vanderbilt's Ben Tran, and students can apply to ask him a question. Free, but space is limited; register here.

 

⚖️ Serve on a Metro board or commission: Residents can apply to advise on everything from parks to planning. See open seats and apply.

 

🗓️ Neighborhood association meetings I'll be attending this month: White Bridge Neighborhood Association and Sylvan Park Neighborhood Association. 

 

 

To my summer intern, Sophia Brame-Goldthwaite. I don't have council staff, so an extra set of hands makes a real difference. This summer Sophia helped research and draft letters and constituent responses, including a letter supporting renewed funding for Nashville Launch Pad, and joined me out in the district, including a walk along Richland Creek with the Harpeth Conservancy and neighbors. Thank you, Sophia, for your curiosity and hard work! 

 

To the Charlotte Avenue Corridor Group. A few weeks ago, businesses and organizations along Charlotte Ave from 42nd to 53rd gathered for our first meeting, hosted by Dan and Brenda Cook at Clementine Hall, to talk through what keeps coming up for them and how often we should meet. My goal is simple: hear your needs directly and bring them to Metro. We'll meet a few times a year. Own a business or run an organization on Charlotte? Email me at Brenda.Gadd@Nashville.Gov to join the group.