Under a comment that read “RIP Community Mural,” the Council Member wrote back that he “actually wrote into the legislation that the developer must preserve the mural,” and that the Channel 5 headline was misleading. Asked what happens if the developer just pays the fine, he added that they “won’t be able to get permits.” On Channel 5 he held up one sentence that was coming. He built the expectation in public, on camera and in the comments.
Decode the City - Stay Informed
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Last night the Council Office posted the amendments filed for third reading. His was not among them. The deadline was Friday at noon. Today is Saturday, and the sentence providing some hope that would codify any chance of those promises is not yet in the file, much less with Public Art community participation in the process or improving the proposed amendment.
So here is the ongoing mystery. If it lands now, after the deadline, that is not a preservation fix. He has not shared his amendment with constituents, or even with those proposing solutions. Where is it? The rest of Council files on the deadline the city prints for everyone. Does Council leadership for District 20 have “like a referee favorite”, a “special whistle” for some members?
Will it be late. Will it, if it arrives, carry the protection for the art and the artists he promised, or protect only the word “mural” while the mural itself comes down. Where is it. What is in it. The mystery continues.
We asked the plain version a week ago. Where in the plan is the mural wall preserved? Where is the amendment, the answer today is that it lived in last-minute floor testimony, delivered after the public hearing, not in the document being voted on, but trust Councilmanic Courtesy!
Friday at noon was the moment to move it from testimony into the amending documents. That moment passed, at least as reflected in last night’s agenda and amendment update. Read the short news story below, then decide what a rescue is worth with no filing behind it, and no additional meaningful community interaction or meetings, or is it, the community would like to know?
Absent in District 20, again: prioritizing neighbors, transparency, communications, and reducing the impact of growth on and for the streets we live on.
Third reading is Tuesday, July 21, at Metro Council.
Will Councilmanic Courtesy ride again? What does it take to recognize real planning and in this example, a substantial contributor to Nashville’s Mural tours and collections.
LINK ABOUT THE ARTISTS AND HISOTRY OF THE NATIONS WALL ART
See other related stories about this site and project proposal below.
Decode the City - Stay Informed
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Christopher Remke [AIA ret.] brings an unusual combination to real estate analysis: the quantitative rigor of a veteran Design-Build-Development Advisory Professional merged with the cultural awareness of a Context-Sensitive Urbanist. As Principal of Linked, L. L. C., he’s the rare voice who can deconstruct a pro forma, read municipal debt structures, and simultaneously ask whether the project destroys or enhances the neighborhood’s social fabric.
This dual perspective - analytics meets urbanism - allows Chris to expose what architects, planners, builders, and conventional real estate experts miss: how financialization, zoning manipulation, and tax policy don’t just change property values, they fundamentally alter how cities function as communities.
As President of Save Our Nashville Neighborhoods (SONNinc.org), Chris fights extraction-urbanism’s standardized templates and champions genuine neighborhood diversity. Through his writing, he operates in “Decoder Mode,” making complex policy accessible while revealing the truth behind political narratives.
His mission is simple:
Neighborhoods need a voice, Working People need a voice, and the City needs a Council that connects with constituents.
Because transparency builds trust. Manipulation destroys it.
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