Eastside Buzz, March 5

Dickerson Pike Rebranding Considered By Merchants Association

Discussions of rebranding the Dickerson Pike area were underway at the Dickerson Road Merchants Association monthly meeting on Feb. 24.

“The moniker ‘Dickerson Pike’ is not a good one, to be honest,” said DRMA President Dave Puncochar, owner of Good Wood Nashville, 1307 Dickerson Pike (Puncochar also owns his business’s building, which houses neighboring Retrograde Coffee too).

Puncochar told the small group gathered in a conference space at Good Wood that he saw a couple of businesses on Dickerson Pike that had the “Uptown” moniker attached. He suggested it as a new name for the area.

“We are kinda on a perch,” he said.

Puncochar, who grew up in Brentwood, said he remembers when “The Gulch” was first proposed. At the time, he thought, “What the heck is ‘The Gulch?”

Now, he feels differently. “Different neighborhoods have rebranded themselves and it’s been helpful,” Puncochar said.

Marc Colson, who owns an auto auction business in the area, said he’d be fine with a name change. “It always has been a bad area of Nashville,” he said.

Meredith DiMenna, Director of Operations for DRMA member Trinity Community Commons, favored the “Uptown” moniker. “It’s snazzy,” she said.

DRMA did not make a formal motion regarding rebranding. The discussion will likely continue at future meetings.

Fish Fry Finds East Bank Feedback

A community fish fry event held Saturday at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church gave community members an opportunity to learn more about Metro’s large-scale East Bank development plan, and also voice their opinion on the matter.

The event was hosted by Stand Up! Nashville. Nathaniel Carter, Director of Workforce and Employment for the local non-profit, told NewsChannel5 that the voices of many are going unheard during Metro’s East Bank planning process.

“They need better transportation, they need more affordable housing, they need the streets fixed, they need high wage-paying jobs,” said Carter. “If you’re going to change, make sure you’re giving back something to the people in the city that it’s affecting the change on.”

The event, “Fish Fry & Facts,” was geared toward gathering thoughts directly from resident stakeholders and others who would be directly impacted by development and associated East Bank construction, such as union workers, according to The Tennessean.

Metro’s East Bank planning study area is roughly 338 acres, bounded by I-24 to the east and south, the Cumberland River to the west, and Jefferson Street to the north. It is one of the largest and most complex studies undertaken by Metro Nashville.

Tech giant Oracle is planning a $1.2 billion campus in the area; the massive RiverNorth development is promised by Nashville Mayor John Cooper to be Nashville’s “next great neighborhood;” and the Tennessee Titans are planning an entertainment district across about 130 acres encircling Nissan Stadium.

And recently, the Tennessee Titans and Metro began exploring the possibility of building a new stadium.

According to The Tennessean, organizers of the event eventually hope to take their thoughts directly to corporate entities, like the Tennessee Titans, that contribute to and inspire future development on the East Bank and demand a written “community benefits agreement.”

“The (Metro) community meetings were very poorly attended,” Stand Up Nashville board chair MauraLee Albert told The Tennessean. “And then two weeks ago, we found out that they want us to pay for the stadium. … So we want to hear from the community, like ‘Do y’all really want that?’”

Quick Bits

• Legendary country music tailor of “Nudie suit” fame Nudie Cohn was a Ukrainian refugee, a recent Saving Country Music.com post details.
• East Nashville is still rebuilding two years after the March 2020 tornado, according to WKRN.
• A recent New York Times article lays out how the Tennessee legislature’s recent gerrymandering of Nashville goes “beyond politics.”
• Legendary Nashville session pianist Hargus “Pig” Robbins has passed away.
• State Rep. Mike Stewart, who represents parts of East Nashville, won’t seek reelection, according to AXIOS Nashville.

Love Buzz

Toyesauce “Chicken”

Super funky jazz grooves from the band Toyesauce have landed with a bang! The brainchild of Leon Toye (guitar), with the rhythm section of Stanton Moore on drums and Craig Glaiberman on bass taking it downtown while the horn section of Emmanuel Echem (trumpet), Roy Agee (trombone), and Troy Atkins (sax) light up the night and Ryan Conners (keys) adds the special sauce, “Chicken” is sure to put a swing in your stride.