A year after the state’s controversial demolition [1] of a 12South-area community garden near Interstate 440, Metro officials are preparing to turn the property into city park space.
A 15-year lease agreement between the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Metro is in the works that would allow the city to use the TDOT-owned property that served as the home of the George W. Carver Food Park from 1989 until April 2011.
The Metro Parks and Recreation Board will vote on the matter at its next meeting June 3. Its lease requires no monetary exchange.
Jim Hester, special assistant at the parks department, said the new park — situated between Lealand Lane and 12th Avenue off I-440 — would include some landscaping, primarily the construction of a walking trail.
Last April, TDOT sent bulldozers to the community garden, contending neighbors had complained about what the department characterized as a blight. The move infuriated regulars of the community garden.
Links:
[1] http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/i-440-area-community-garden-bulldozed-following-complaints