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Metro BZA defers New Leaf School daycare extension after neighbor noise complaints
Summary
The Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals on July 17 deferred a request by New Leaf School to extend a special‑exception permit at 374 Hicks Road after neighbors complained about sustained outdoor noise from the program.
The Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals on July 17 deferred a request by New Leaf School and the Greater Nashville Unitarian Universalist Congregation for a two-year extension of a special-exception permit that allows daycare operations at 374 Hicks Road.
The board took the action after multiple nearby residents testified that the school’s outdoor program — which parents and school leaders say emphasizes year‑round outdoor learning — has produced sustained noise, including loud shouting, whistles and the use of drums and other instruments. The board set a new hearing on Sept. 18 and asked the school and neighbors to work together on a noise‑mitigation plan and fencing that meets Metro’s special‑exception requirements.
Why it matters: The New Leaf request could affect dozens of families who rely on the program for child care while also raising long‑term quality‑of‑life concerns for adjacent homeowners. The board’s decision balances the school’s licensing and community role with neighbors’ complaints about noise and the location of outdoor play areas.
What happened: New Leaf’s director, Elaine Harvey, told the board the congregation property hosts the school while the organization builds a permanent site at Charlotte Pike. Harvey and the congregation’s minister, the Rev. Denise Couch, said construction delays, soil remediation and licensing timelines have pushed the move‑out date beyond the previously approved period.
Opponents — several residents from Still Spring Hollow — told the board the school’s children and teachers frequently use a wooded garden area closer to the back of the property than the playground shown on the applicant’s plans. Residents said the change placed active outdoor groups roughly 135 feet from some homes and that noise is amplified in the neighborhood’s hollow topography.
Parents and a New Leaf parent‑speaker acknowledged the concerns and described steps the school has already taken or was prepared to take: stopping use of loud instruments in the garden, staggering outdoor group schedules, limiting the number of children outside at once and replacing temporary tarps with wooden outdoor furniture. School leaders said they had not received neighborhood complaints before the recent notice of this hearing.
Board response and next steps: BZA members noted the zoning standard that outdoor play areas “be attached to the main structure and fenced in a way that minimizes noise impacts on neighboring residences.” Members asked staff to confirm whether the school’s current outdoor area meets that requirement and urged the parties to produce a concrete mitigation plan before the Sept. 18 hearing. The zoning administrator confirmed the department would not take enforcement action that would immediately close the school during the deferral period.
Status: Deferred to Sept. 18, 2025. The BZA chair encouraged the applicant and neighbors to meet and produce a plan addressing fence type, placement and specific noise‑mitigation measures for the board’s review.
