Photo: Jamie Hernandez

Metro Council has deferred a vote on a rezoning resolution that would potentially bring big changes to a much-loved area of midtown, home to two storied music venues. That gives concerned citizens a little more time to lobby their representatives on the council in hopes of preventing what might seem inevitable.

Back in July, word spread about the proposed rezoning of a trio of properties at the corner of Louise Avenue and Elliston Place. The three buildings, sometimes collectively known as the Louise Douglas Apartments, are considered eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. They are also right on the edge of what Nashvillians have long called the Rock Block. That’s the strip of Elliston that’s long been home to Exit/In and The End (known many years ago as Elliston Square), two venues that have played important roles in the development of Nashville’s music scene.

The rezoning would allow for a structure up to 15 stories high on the property. That likely means the construction of a large hotel tower by Triumph Hospitality, whose portfolio features budget hotel franchises. Despite a unanimous recommendation from the Metro Planning Commission that the rezoning request not be passed by the Metro Council, it did pass its first two readings, which were in April and July.

“This is the domino that we need to stop,” says Chris Cobb, who co-owns Exit/In and the adjacent bar Hurry Back, as well as venue Marathon Music Works. “The narrative of the developers, the narrative [of] some of the councilmembers who are in favor of this proposal [is] that the businesses on Elliston are going to thrive when this hotel property is there. I'm not speaking for all of Elliston Place, but I can speak for my businesses, two of which are right across the street. They're not going to thrive from a hotel. We serve residents. We serve the neighborhood. We serve the city, and so do a lot of the other businesses on Elliston Place.”

A third and final reading was originally set for Aug. 6, but it has been deferred until the last council meeting of the month, which will take place on Aug. 20. That delay has energized Cobb to ramp up his opposition to the legislation. In July, his wife Telisha Cobb (who helped Cobb and his business partner Josh Billue launch Marathon Music Works) started a change.org petition, which currently has more than 3,200 signatures, urging the council to vote down the proposal.

“I feel I've been saying these same things for several years now, and it used to be crickets,” says Chris Cobb. “Nobody really said anything back to me. And this time, it's very different. Thousands of people signed the petition. Council members are responding and saying that they're going to vote against it, and that they understand the issues, and that they agree with me. Look, that's never happened before. So — maybe. I got a little bit of hope.”

Though replacing the apartments with a large hotel doesn’t pose a direct threat to either Exit/In or The End, Cobb highlights several concerns with the project. First, an increase in property values could perpetuate an increase in property taxes, ultimately leading to area small business’s rent rising to unsustainable levels. Another is that removing the apartments exacerbates the lack of affordable housing in or near the urban core, something he says already affects his ability to hire employees. Not to mention that replacing long-standing buildings and green space on that corner with a 15-story hotel tower would dramatically change the character of the area.

The rezoning legislation is sponsored by councilmember Ed Kindall. As we reported on election night, incumbent Kindall faced four challengers for his seat and earned 36 percent of the vote in District 21 — which includes the area around the Rock Block as well as a portion of North Nashville. In the runoff election scheduled for Sept. 12, Kindall will face Brandon Taylor, who came in a close second with 33 percent of the vote.

The Tennessean reports that Kindall received $10,000 of his $15,650 in donations from real estate investors. Though none of the large-scale donors appear to be involved with the Rock Block project, Cobb points to the influx of real estate money into the mayoral and Metro council races as another serious issue in local politics.

“I know this isn't a secret that money in politics is a massive problem," says Cobb. "But God, when I see the low voter turnout, when I see the number of — there's more 18- to 24-year-olds who go to Marathon Music Works in one week than voted in this election.”

To reach out to your representative on the Council, find their details on Metro's website.

Additional reporting by Alejandro Ramirez and J.R. Lind.