South Nashville neighbors have expressed concern over a proposed micro home village that would house some of the city's most vulnerable homeless including former inmates and those with mental illness.
The proposal was made Monday. Open Table Nashville announced a project that will build a micro home village on unused property at Glencliff United Methodist Church in South Nashville. The 22 micro homes will be known as the Village at Glencliff.
But people who live nearby said the project is poorly planned, could pose a safety threat to existing neighbors and future residents of the micro homes, and was forced on the neighborhood too quickly.
"I thought it was a land grab," said neighbor Bill Gurken, who has since started a Facebook page called Neighbors Concerned About Glencliff Village. "The process has been pretty vague. We were told we could fight this but we would lose."
That vague process is partly because the Religious Land Use and Incarcerated Persons Act gives churches a way to avoid burdensome zoning laws that restrict the way their property is used. The Village at Glencliff was voted on by church members but did not go through a formal zoning or appeals process with the city of Nashville.
"People feel like it's a blind side," said Sherry McCall, another concerned neighbor. "People who oppose this are good people, we have big hearts, which is what makes this so hard."
McCall said she recognizes the need for affordable and low income housing, but she is concerned the Village could bring more crime to her neighborhood. Particularly because many micro home residents will likely be receiving some form of medication or medical attention.
"We have people kick in our doors to steal stuff so they can buy drugs," McCall said. "Why would they not go to the micro homes and target people there?"
Others are worried the micro home residents could cause problems in the heart of a residential neighborhood.
"You might have someone with severe schizophrenia coming off their medication," said Gavin Miller, who lives less than a mile away from the project's site. "That is not a situation you want within walking distance to the grocery store we all visit."
Some residents said they'd like to see a 24-hour, Metro Nashville Police Department substation built into the design of the project.
A spokeswoman for Open Table Nashville said the group plans to meet with private security companies soon, but no security plans are in place at this time.
