NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Homeowners on Music Row have spent two years trying to get the city to designate a handful of parking spots for residents on their block — and say they keep hitting dead ends.
Dozens of neighbors at 807 18th Avenue South have asked Nashville for seven or eight resident-only parking spaces. They say the extra spots would help when their one garage space isn't enough.
Bo Gutierrez is among the homeowners on Music Row who can walk to some of Nashville's most popular spots — but says parking at home has become a costly headache.
"We have another guy over here with $700 in tickets," Gutierrez said.
Guiterrez is the president of the community's homeowners association.
In April 2024, the neighbors' request made it to the Traffic and Parking Commission, where a staff member voiced support. But the vote was deferred over concerns about setting a precedent, in part because paid parking had only recently been added to the street.
Residents resubmitted their request last year and again this year, including a petition with significant community support. The request still hasn't come back before the commission.
The homes sit close to busy Division Street. When paid parking was introduced in the area, parking demand actually went down, according to neighbors. This has left them questioning why it's so hard to secure designated spots if they aren't competing with bar and restaurant visitors.
"We don't know if any of the work that our community has done — is going to be done this last year — is going to be valued or even accepted at this point," Gutierrez said.
When neighbors reached out for help, I contacted NDOT, and was told the residential parking program had recently been put on hold until a project manager is in place. The program remains on pause.
Then came an unexpected development. A system error allowed residents at 807 18th Avenue South to apply for residential parking permits — even though that specific segment of 18th Avenue South had not been approved for the program. A separate segment of 18th Avenue South has been approved for residential parking permits for years, but not the block where these neighbors live.
Residents were able to apply and pay for the passes before the error was caught.
"I was excited. I actually emailed you, and I was like, this is happening, we actually got it, we bought it, paid for it, NDOT issued a permit — we thought it was over," Gutierrez said.
The excitement didn't last. Residents who used the permits were ticketed. NDOT later confirmed to me the parking passes were issued by mistake. Once the error was discovered, refunds were issued to residents who had paid for the permits.
A spokesperson for NDOT said that because its office issued residential parking permits in error for an inactive zone, it will place the parking tickets on the docket and request a dismissal as "a gesture of goodwill."
"I just want the city to tell us what the rules are. We're trying to do everything we can as a community — it's like no one is talking to each other," a resident said.
According to NDOT, it has been in communication with the neighborhood and the council member on this since last week. NDOT says the neighbors' next step is to resubmit their request again. We will stay on this story and let you know what happens.
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