Board approves two-year extension for New Leaf School special exception amid neighbor noise concerns

The Metro Nashville Board of Zoning Appeals on a 4-2 vote granted New Leaf School a two-year extension of its special-exception use to continue operating a school and child-care program at a church property, subject to the conditions the school filed with the board.

Neighbors who live immediately adjacent to the property objected at the hearing, saying children’s vocalizations and outdoor activity echo through the hollow and that temporary or dilapidated fencing and unfinished construction make the play areas unsafe. The applicant said it has changed some materials and scheduling to reduce noise, has expanded alternative play areas in the on-site forest, and is pursuing a new permanent campus but has encountered soil and permitting delays.

The extension was requested after the board earlier postponed the matter to allow the applicant and neighborhood to discuss revised plans. At the hearing, the applicant described steps taken since the prior meeting: installing a more substantial wooden enclosure for the breezeway play area, replacing metal cooking and music implements with lower-noise silicone items, changing morning…