Proposed charter change would scrap racing, cement affordable housing at Nashville Fairgrounds

Nashville voters enshrined auto racing as a protected activity at the Nashville Fairgrounds with a change to the city's governing document in 2011. A new effort seeks to put the issue back on the ballot with a twist: nixing auto racing and replacing it with affordable housing.

The citizen-led petition is the first attempt to change Nashville's charter since voters approved a more defined amendment process in 2022. And the suggested change lands squarely in the crux of a yearslong dispute over the future of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

Proponents of a proposed deal with Bristol Motor Speedway to renovate the track and bring NASCAR back to Music City have often cited the charter's requirement to keep racing on the 117-acre fairgrounds property. They say the city needs to strike a deal or shell out approximately $40 million in maintenance to bring the track back up to snuff. But others have opposed the Bristol deal, citing concerns over fiscal prudence, sound, traffic and impact to quality of life in surrounding residential neighborhoods.

The deal, which has been dormant since the final weeks of former Mayor John Cooper's administration, would enter Metro into a 30-year lease with Bristol, during which the company would oversee an estimated $100 million in renovations, including a sound wall and a new 30,000-seat grandstand.

More: Timeline: The rocky road of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway renovation proposal

The charter amendment effort is spearheaded by Nashville attorney Kenneth Byrd and community organizer Heidi Basgall Favorite.

Byrd, a former member of Nashville's Board of Fair Commissioners, is part of a nonprofit that in November publicized an alternate plan for the site envisioning a public park, housing and a straight-line track for electric vehicles. Basgall Favorite is the founder of grassroots group Neighbors Opposing Track Expansion.

The pair submitted a letter to the Metro Clerk on Jan. 31 detailing their proposed charter amendment: Auto racing would be removed from a list of required activities at the fairgrounds. Instead, the list of activities would include "the Tennessee State Fair, Expo Center Events, Flea Markets and Affordable Housing."

Byrd and Basgall Favorite say the change would have no financial impact on Metro, pointing to a mixed-use project under construction near GEODIS Park that will contain affordable residential units.

Byrd said polling has indicated Nashvillians want transit and affordable housing, and he thinks now is a good time for the city to revisit its priorities at the fairgrounds.

"Let's give the voters an opportunity to have a say," he said.

Should their effort be successful, it would not bar auto racing at the fairgrounds and would not prevent city leaders from moving forward with a deal that would renovate or expand the racetrack. A vote would provide a litmus test of speedway support, and removing the requirement for auto racing could free the Metro-owned land for other uses.

The Charter Revision Commission, a body charged with reviewing whether a petition meets requirements to be certified, considered Byrd and Basgall Favorite's proposal Thursday. The Commission ultimately determined that the petition was not presented in the correct format but found no issues with the substance of the proposed change.

Byrd said this was expected — because this is the first time someone has attempted to use the new process to get a charter amendment on the ballot, there was no template to follow. The commission adopted a template petition for future reference during Thursday's meeting.

Byrd said he will make the necessary changes and resubmit the petition to be considered again by the commission on March 11. Should they certify the petition, Byrd and Basgall Favorite could attempt to get it on the ballot by either Metro Council consideration and approval or collecting the required number of petition signatures over a 90-day period.

The new charter amendment rules require a successful petition to gather signatures from 10% of registered voters in Davidson County, putting the target around 50,000 signatures.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Charter change would scrap racing requirement at Nashville fairgrounds