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Stimulus funds for Hickory Hollow?
Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 12:00am
Antioch Metro Councilman Sam Coleman wants the Davidson County delegation of the general assembly to pursue stimulus funds to set up a Central Business Improvement District around the struggling Hickory Hollow Mall.
In a letter to the Davidson County delegation this week, Coleman states that public safety concerns have led to a sharp decline for businesses in the Hickory Hollow area.
“The primary reason given for this decline stems from increased levels in criminal activity and the safety concerns of prospective shoppers,” Coleman’s letter states.
Coleman proposes a business improvement district be installed to cover a four-mile radius around the mall. Having consulted with the Metro Southeast Precinct, Coleman calls a new plan of safety for the mall “shovel ready” and asks the legislature to direct funds to create the district.
CBIDs typically allow for infrastructure and landscaping improvements — the district in The Gulch has been used to that end — although Coleman said Hickory Hollow businesses would ask that the funds be used to ward off crime.
“Our goals are to reduce crime and offer retailers an economically viable location for their businesses,” Coleman said.
Earlier this year, Coleman told The City Paper it was his hope Mayor Karl Dean would follow through on his campaign promise to not forget about Antioch. The second-term Council member has held a series of community meetings on the issue of crime in Hickory Hollow. Coleman said the area is at a critical juncture.
“We as elected officials need to act,” he said.
Coleman’s letter states that he is willing to appear in front of Davidson County state representatives to present his plan of safety for the Hickory Hollow area.
This is the first instance of a Metro Council member asking for a local project to get federal stimulus funds, which are being funneled to state officials. Coleman likened the Hickory Hollow situation to last year’s approval by the Dean administration of a tax-increment financing deal to improve Bellevue Center Mall. That deal also will bring a library to that area.
“… Due to the economy, business owners simply do not have money to pay for the additional assessment that would be required to implement the Central Business Improvement District,” his letter stated.
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Filed under: City News
Can we sell it to Mexico?
If they really wanted to clean it up they would call the ice men & start rounding up illegals & clamping down on gang activity in the area.(Yes the pc crowd would go nuts) let'em
ammunition kiosks...more baggy pants stores..you know cultural type things
Remember people Federal funds are your money too and should be wasted. Spent on things that are not really a priority.
Coming *SOON* to your local neighborhood! You, too, can also be part of this phenomenon. Smug *%#holes...
Increased police presence? Get the cops off of traffic stops.
There's crime everywhere in the city, not just Hickory Hollow. There are crimes everyday in more affluent neighborhoods. I'm not afraid to go to Hickory Hollow, hell, I'm from New York City. The problem with Hickory Hollow is the stores. Once they bring in better stores, then people WITH MONEY will return to the mall. They need stores like Hugo Boss, Armani, Valentino, Bergdorf Goodman's, Neiman Marcus, The Shop, Bloomingdales, Versace, Bailey Banks & Biddle, etc.
NYer, Hickory Hollow is just about as violent an area here as you can get.....it's so bad that I and my children are no longer allowed to go there. If there are funds available to fix this area, I say Sam should go for it! And if you can find another part of town that is suburban (by design) and equally problematic, contact that councilman and appeal for the same funds. And reality check: THERE WILL NEVER BE A NEIMAN'S, BLOOMIE'S, VERSACE, OR HUGO IN HICKORY HOLLOW! LOL But thanks for the laugh. Green Hills Mall had a Bailey Banks and Biddle a few years back, but it couldn't survive here.
I have friends that live near Hickory Hollow and I've been to the mall many times and have never had any problems. I live in Green Hills and we have problems all the time with car break-ins and theft.
There will never be a decent store selection at Hickory Hollow. That downhill slide started years ago and the trend will never be reversed at this point. When anchor stores like JC Penney and Dillard's leave and the local "Thugs 'R Us" stores backfill all the small shop space, it's over.
You have a point, but the truth is, there's no decent store selections in Nashville period. I have to go home, LA, or Chicago to shop.
What NewYorker, can't make it to Paris?
Always Paris, but don't like going outside the US right now. Maybe another year after Mrs. Clinton has the world liking Americans again. Right now, we're still hated around the world. Not as much as when Bush was in office, but give it another year and I'll start traveling outside the US again.
The problem with Hickory Hollow is that it's not needed anymore. I moved to Murfreesboro in 89 and then Hickory Hollow was the place to go. Then about 5 years later, Stones River mall entered the picture. It took several years after that to get going, but now Murfreesboro has what? 4 malls of their own now. Mt. Juliet has Providence, There's Cool Springs Mall. These new malls outside Hickory Hollow gave people in surrounding areas no reason to come back to Antioch, since they have these stores closer to home.Hickory Hollow as lost all if not most of their anchor stores. Maybe it is the socioeconomic situation around the mall that does prevent stores from coming back, but I don't think money from the gov't is going to help. I've never had any problems at Hickory Hollow when ever I've gone there and don't know anyone personally that has had any problems. Clean the area up, make it look better, (Councilman Coleman look around the next time you go to Green Hills, or Cool Springs to shop..really, I bet you don't even shop Hickory Hollow)Clean it up and get rid of the crime.
it would better serve as offices and another tow in lot for metro.alternative school classes ,drug courts ,and minimum security for 1st time dui offenders would be more productive than a retail area.