Kenner Manor Association

Phillip Clark On Proposed Overlay

Sep 27, 2006

You may recall that about a year ago there were a series of public meetings announced to everyone along the Harding/West End corridor for their input about how to handle traffic and development that is already allowed on the four corners of the White Bridge by current zoning. The result of all of those meetings, which many of our residents participated in, is called the Harding Town Center and is implemented by an Urban Design Overlay. The Planning Commission developed its proposal last summer with wide public participation. Many of you may recall that towards the end of last summer we had a neighborhood meeting to discuss the pros and cons of the Urban Design Overlay and the residents who attended voted to support the UDO. For reasons that I am not really sure about, it has taken almost a year to get to the council. This Urban Design Overlay and the accompanying traffic studies which show how the changes envisioned by the UDO will benefit all of the surrounding neighborhoods is many, many pages long and can be viewed on Metro's Planning Commission website. This zoning change request relates to the implementation of the UDO. One of the benefits of the UDO ( at least by what we were told by Metro's traffic consultants) is that by implementing the transportation plan, it will help the Harding/White Bridge Intersection as this development takes place and therefore maybe decrease traffic intensity throughout our neighborhood (or at least keep it from getting
worse). The thing that is missing from Councilman Summers letter is that it does not really emphasize all of the infrastructure changes which will take place if the Urban Design Overlay is implemented. The owners of the HG Hill Property and the Belle Meade Theater property are giving up a portion of their land for a connector street to go from Ridgefield across Harding and which will connect with White Bridge Road. This is designed to help the
intersection at White Bridge and Harding which, if successful, may alleviate traffic cutthroughs in the evening. It will also allow for traffic turning north from White Bridge to go through by St. Thomas and bypass that light. In exchange for donating the street and agreeing to a number of design concessions, the developers wanted the ability to put residential on those sites. The MUL allows them to do this. Both sites already have retail zoning so I believe its possible a grocery store or another retail property be developed without any zoning changes at all. You will see on the drawing that along the connector street, there is a series of aparments and some retail towards the back of the lot. I think it can house about 30-35 high end apartments or condos. It is my understanding from Metro that those properties are the primary reason for the MUL (Mixed Use) zoning. If an office building is put up, there will be no connector street and none of the transportation plan will be implemented and the back of Ridgefield will house a large garage.
It is hoped that the transportation changes will improve things for all the residents in our neighborhood. I urge everyone to attend this meeting if possible.