THE ANTIOCH - PRIEST LAKE COMMUNITY PLAN UPDATE Adopted October 25, 2012 Planning Department Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County, TN Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update Page Intentionally Left Blank 2 Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update Insert Resolution from the Metropolitian Planning Comission 3 Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update Insert Resolution from Metropolitan Council 4 Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update Insert Table of Contents 5 Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update Executive Summary The Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update (Antioch Interstate 24 and the Nashville International Airport continue to - Priest Lake Plan) replaces the Subarea 13 Plan updated in appeal to regional and international travelers. 2003. The Antioch - Priest Lake Plan will guide the community’s growth, development and preservation over the next seven While the community has numerous strengths, including the to ten years. The community plan update occurred over a six- dedication of its stakeholders, present-day Antioch - Priest Lake month period with the participation of over 400 residents, civic faces and must triumph over a variety of challenges to return and community leaders, property owners, business owners, to the stature, vibrancy and pride it has enjoyed in times past. institutional representatives, development professionals, and Decades ago, Antioch - Priest Lake was a bedroom community elected and appointed officials working to assess growth, that supported established families and professionals. Today, development and preservation options, to discern a shared the area is more diverse with a younger population as well vision for future growth, and to adopt development goals, as an aging population whose lifestyles now require nearby design principles, Community Character Policies and other tools amenities, transit options, and local employment. Therefore, the to achieve that vision. community needs to redefine its vibrancy through greater retail and entertainment, transit, and employment options. Most Realistically Facing Challenges and Building on Strengths importantly, the Antioch - Priest Lake Community needs housing choices with varying price points that are walkable and that are Antioch - Priest Lake is a rapidly growing community. The served by neighborhood scaled amenities. The community is community is made up of traditional suburban development in positioned to accommodate these needs in undeveloped areas built out areas, while other areas are rural in character but have south of Bell Road and in mixed use and employment centers an emerging suburban residential and commercial development near the Hickory Hollow Mall, The Crossings, and near the pattern. Since 2000, the community has experienced a 30% Nashville International Airport. increase in total population. Income and education levels have remained steady, and residential development was significant. Honoring Community Character While the community has experienced record growth, challenges still persisted. Antioch - Priest Lake stakeholders voiced a desire for creating new development patterns on corridors and in significant The community’s central commercial and retail district – Hickory retail and employment centers; mainly Murfreesboro Pike, the Hollow – was severely impacted by the economic and social Hickory Hollow Mall area and The Crossings area, respectively. challenges of the last ten years. As a result, the once booming Stakeholders were also committed to providing a range of regional retail center suffered from vacancies and perception housing choices near those primary retail and employment issues. Due to changes in the housing market, the area had centers. Antioch – Priest Lake stakeholders were adamant about higher rates of mortgage holders than other parts of Davidson new housing being well-designed, and walkable, similar to that County. The community also faced negative perception issues of Lenox Village – a suburban, mixed use community in the that followed the Mall’s decline. Despite these challenges, the southern portion of Davidson County. Antioch – Priest Lake Community showed that it is a resilient community that is determined to succeed. To do so, the The Antioch - Priest Lake stakeholders were also very vocal community wishes to build on the assets that have remained about overall connectivity in these areas through pedestrian, constant even through these uncertain times; the Percy Priest vehicular, bicycle and transit facilities. Sidewalks were Lake as a regional attraction, regional location and access, the mentioned on numerous occasions throughout the process. Nashville International Airport, and neighbors and business As a result, sidewalk priorities were identified near the Hickory owners committed to the success of the community. Hollow Mall area, near schools, and in developed subdivisions mostly north of Bell Road. The Antioch - Priest Lake Plan also Percy Priest Lake continues to draw roughly 6 million visitors and provides open space recommendations that build upon the roughly $61 million dollars annually to the Middle TN region. existing open space network in the community, encourage Commercial, employment and residential synergies between additional connections between open spaces, and encouraging Antioch – Priest Lake and cities like Murfreesboro, LaVergne, the creation of community and neighborhood parks that can be Smyrna and Mt. Juliet have become more apparent and easily accessed from residential areas by walking or biking. beneficial. Meanwhile, proximity to transportation systems like 6 Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update The Antioch - Priest Lake Plan uses Community Character Policies that are tailored to suburban and rural character to honor the diversity of character in Antioch - Priest Lake, from the suburban neighborhoods near historic Downtown Antioch, to the rural areas near J. Percy Priest Lake. The Antioch - Priest Lake Plan uses Community Character Policies to avoid one-size fits all development, to reinforce and enhance the development pattern of existing neighborhoods, enhance the character of mixed use corridors, and to preserve green spaces. The Vision for the Antioch - Priest Lake Community The Antioch - Priest Lake Plan reflects the values and vision of the numerous participants in the planning process. The vision balances that input with sound planning principles to achieve a realistic, long-term plan for sustainable growth, development and preservation. Antioch - Priest Lake community members envision a community that – in ten years – will be a - “sought after community with greater access to Percy Priest Lake and community-scaled parks, housing that is competitive in the market and that meets the needs of a changing demographic, transportation improvements that include sidewalks, bikeways, and mass transit, and employment centers that produce jobs to support rebounding retail centers.” To accomplish this vision, a coordinated and persistent effort is required by residents, property owners, developers and investors, business owners and public/private agencies is essential. Beyond the role of Metro departments and governmental agencies, organized groups of citizens, must display patient and persistent determination in supporting local retail, housing that meets the needs of all Antioch-Priest Lake residents, and community promotion and branding that works to dispel myths and negative perceptions. Developers and investors, who are encouraged by public policies and agencies, will likewise be encouraged by such evidence of stakeholders’ activism and dedication. To bring about this vision, the Antioch - Priest Lake Plan encourages development that is forward thinking in its approach to regionalism, sustainability, and creating complete communities. Development in the Antioch - Priest Lake Community should also support the vision, goals and objectives of the Antioch - Priest Lake Plan and the general intent of the Community Character Policies. Doing so will create the community that Antioch - Priest Lake stakeholders envision and a community that makes significant, positive contributions to the county and the region. 7 Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update Page Intentionally Left Blank 8 Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update Chapter 1 - Planning Fundamentals CHAPTER I: PLANNING FUNDAMENTALS Introduction The Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update (“Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan” or “the Plan”) was created with the help of Antioch - Priest Lake residents, property owners, business owners, institutional leaders, development professionals and elected and appointed officials, working together with planners from the Nashville and Davidson County Metropolitan Planning Department. This collaborative effort created a plan that establishes a vision for the future of the Antioch - Priest Lake Community and provides guidance for future development and preservation decisions. The primary purpose of the Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan is to provide a course of action for stakeholders to build the envisioned community. In doing so, the Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan guides public and private decisions and actions that shape the future development and preservation in Antioch - Priest Lake. Key decisions guided by the Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan include: 1. Public and private investment decisions about where to build infrastructure and buildings; 2. Metro Planning Commission’s recommendations and Metro Council’s actions regarding zone change proposals; 3. Metro Planning Commission’s actions regarding subdivisions; 4. Metro Planning Commission’s decisions on surplus properties; and 5. Metro Planning Commission’s recommendations to Metro Council for Metro Government’s Capital Improvements Budget (CIB) and Capital Spending Plan (CSP). The CIB guides the creation, extension and replacement of public facilities such as sidewalks, roads, bridges, etc., and the sale of surplus public property. The CSP is a more specific and final list of such projects and their funding sources. The creation of the Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan takes the participation of all stakeholders. In creating the plan, the stakeholders are also engaged in education on the fundamentals of planning and the tools used to achieve the community’s vision. This includes understanding Metro Nashville and Davidson County’s commitment to sustainable development that fosters health living and to understanding the role of the individual community in the larger region. This chapter begins with a history of the Antioch – Priest Lake Community. It then moves to a discussion about the Antioch - Priest Lake community and its role within the region. The chapter then turns to explaining the relationship between a healthy and sustainable community and the built environment. Finally, the chapter concludes by explaining the legal basis of community planning, and how to use the community plan to realize the vision for growth and preservation in the Antioch - Priest Lake Community. 9 Antioch - Priest Lake Community Plan: 2012 Update Chapter 1 - Planning Fundamentals Antioch - Priest Lake Community History A Town Built on a Mail Route For the purposes of future planning, Davidson County is Now a town featuring a post office, Antioch began to grow divided into fourteen communities. The Antioch – Priest Lake covering an area of one to two miles in either direction. The Community is a vast area spanning from Interstate 24 to the Antioch mail route itself also covered additional areas outside west, J. Percy Priest Lake to the east, the Airport to the north of those communities. Beyond that initial two mile boundary and the Davidson County line to the south. However, the were the communities of Una, Mt. View, Cane Ridge, Tusculum community known as “Antioch” began at the convergence of and Bakertown. Antioch Pike, Hickory Hollow Parkway, Blue Hole Road, and Mt. View Road. That intersection is where the small town of Antioch Much of the land in the town of Antioch was owned by Charles was founded, and the place from which the Antioch as we know Hays and he remained the largest land owner through the first it today, grew. few decades of Antioch’s existence. By the end of the 1840’s however, road construction had begun on Mill Creek Valley Pike The original town of Antioch began as a church located by Mill (now known as Antioch Pike), and the road opened for use in Creek. Antioch was a commuter town because workers traveled 1846. Construction also began on a rail road that would change to and from Downtown Nashville. From the beginning, the town the face of the community. provided immediate services like a post office and general store. For planning purposes, the community was given the name The Town Grows along the Railroad Antioch – Priest Lake because the study area encompassed areas near J. Percy Priest Lake and the neighborhoods that grew The railroad built near the town of Antioch was vital for mail from the heart of Antioch in the early 1800’s. delivery and those workers who had jobs in the “big city” of Nashville. Even back then, the commute to Downtown Nashville Antioch in the 1800’s was a chore requiring a horse to Nolensville Road, followed by a trolley taking a half day to get to Downtown Nashville. The In 1810 a church organized in the area near Mill Creek. Then first train helped workers get to and from Nashville quickly. In in 1820, a large landowner by the name of Charles Hays its heyday, approximately 18 passengers were taking the train donated land for the church to build on. The church’s original to and from the city of Nashville. name was the “First Baptist Church”. Charles Hays changed the name, basing the name change on Bible scripture (Acts 11:26 Over the years, there were four trains that ran both north and KJV) which states “…and the disciples were called Christians south that stopped at various station locations in Antioch. The first in Antioch.” The village was known as Antioch from 1820 first station was southwest of present day Una-Antioch Pike. The onward. For a short time in the 1870’s and 1880’s, the post book With Good Will and Affection...for Antioch states that this office designation for the village was Oneyville, named after the may be in the spot where Hickory Hollow Parkway runs today. In post master of that time – Dr. J. H. Oney. However it was later 1891, the train station would move to its second location near changed back to the name Antioch. the terminus of Blue Hole Road at Antioch Pike. This was the final location prior to the arrival of the automobile - the invention that would make travel by railroad less popular. In later years, Mill Creek Garden along Una Antioch Pike CSX Railroad in Antioch 10