Metro Planning seeks BPAC feedback on Waseoto Bend street‑plan amendment

Donald Anthony, a planner with Metro Planning, presented a proposed Major and Collector Street Plan (MCSP) amendment for the Waseoto Bend area and asked the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission to return a recommendation by Aug. 25 so the Planning Commission can consider adoption on Sept. 10. "Nashville NEXT is a policy document... Entitlements are not created by NASHVILLE NEXT or its component parts," Anthony told commissioners, stressing the MCSP is guidance, not a regulatory map.

The amendment would add a functional street grid within roughly 21 parcels across about 71 acres in the study area bounded by Korean Veterans Boulevard, North Shelby Avenue, Interstate 24 and the river. Anthony showed proposed street classifications (arterial, collector, local) and detailed cross sections for South 2nd Street, Davidson Street and East Bank Boulevard. He described typical right‑of‑way widths and how pedestrian zones, green zones, protected bike lanes or cycle tracks, parking and travel lanes combine to determine total width.

Why it matters: the MCSP shapes long‑range public and private investment in major streets and is used during development review. Commissioners noted that, while the plan cannot condemn property, lines shown on MCSP maps may cross private parcels and will influence future design and developer expectations.

Commissioners pressed on design details and tradeoffs. One commissioner urged clearer purpose for the plan’s "flex lanes," asking whether the space is intended to accommodate transit, parking, or another use; Anthony said the East Bank cross section can accommodate future transit but a specific plan for immediate transit lanes is not yet set. Other members raised concerns about transitions from two‑sided bike lanes to a cycle track where South 2nd turns and warned that poorly designed crossings or a wide arterial could become a barrier to neighborhood walkability. A commissioner said leaving sizable flex space without a defined use risks it being filled by cars and creating a "moat" that divides the neighborhood.

Anthony said staff held a neighborhood meeting on June 24 that drew about 30 attendees, filed the application in early June (case number 2026CP‑009‑002), and that BPAC’s recommendation may be as simple as “yes” or “no” or include detailed edits. He listed East Bank Boulevard and the cycle‑track transition points as priority areas for BPAC feedback. "If you have personal preferences, send those to me separately," he said, and invited commissioners to contact him, Eric Hammer in planning, or Justin Cole at NDOT for follow up.

Next steps: BPAC’s chair asked the subcommittee to refine comments ahead of the full commission’s Aug. 17 meeting so the commission can issue a formal letter in time for the Aug. 25 deadline. The Planning Commission is expected to be the final decision body for this MCSP amendment, not Metro Council.