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Neighbors urge East Bank Authority to rule out six‑lane boulevard for East Bank Boulevard
Summary
At the Aug. 26 East Bank Development Authority meeting, multiple neighborhood representatives and the Civic Design Center urged the board to eliminate a proposed six‑lane design for East Bank Boulevard, citing safety, walkability and a spring survey showing 70% opposition.
Several neighborhood representatives and design advocates told the East Bank Development Authority on Aug. 26 that the planned East Bank Boulevard should not include a six‑lane option and urged the board to prioritize a pedestrian‑first design.
Speakers said a six‑lane boulevard would conflict with the city’s Vision Zero and walkability goals and would create safety problems for neighbors and businesses. “Eliminate any six‑lane boulevard options from the plan,” said a neighborhood representative during the public‑comment period.
The speakers cited a spring East Bank survey in which, they said, 70 percent of respondents opposed a six‑lane design. Sadie Cooper, president of the Shelby Hills Neighborhood Association, said Shelby Hills — one of the closest neighborhoods to the planned East Bank development — strongly opposes a six‑lane thoroughfare and asked the board to consider alternatives that “focus on multimodal people‑first use.”
Joseph Lee, speaking for Eastwood Neighborhood, said the neighborhood experiences the barrier effect of large roads and warned a six‑lane boulevard would make walking across the corridor more dangerous and hurt local business foot traffic. “This new six‑lane road will definitely make crossing extremely dangerous and not conducive to foot traffic, which actually benefits business,” Lee said.
Ben Metz, board president of the Civic Design Center, said the design under discussion does not align with a pedestrian‑friendly, transit‑oriented neighborhood. Metz described a coalition of local experts and more than 100 signatories proposing an alternative concept that prioritizes pedestrians, bike lanes and transit connectivity.
Board members responded in a brief update later in the meeting saying the City of Nashville and the East Bank team are continuing to refine design parameters. The authority’s staff said data collection is complete and that state and city asset owners — including NDOT, WeGo and the mayor’s office — are involved in the ongoing decision and that the authority is serving as a subject‑matter expert in those discussions.
The public comment period referenced the Tennessee Open Meetings Act and was recorded for the minutes. Several speakers handed letters from neighborhood associations to the board, and speakers asked the board to commit to excluding a six‑lane option from the East Bank Boulevard alternatives under consideration.
