NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Restore Our Fairgrounds neighborhood coalition unveiled renderings as part of a “new vision” for the future of Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
The group's co-founder Mike Kopp led Tuesday’s press conference, where neighbors, Metro Council Member Terry Vo and State Representatives John Ray Clemmons and Caleb Hemmer all shared their support.
One rendering showed a massive green space replacing the more than 120-year-old racetrack, along with a nearby housing complex. Another showed people enjoying a fair on that same green space.
"These pictures say a thousand words. The images, while aspirational, hopefully can help folks understand what's possible at the Fairgrounds Speedway as we hit the homestretch of the petition drive, which runs through September 18," Kopp said.
The coalition needs more than 40,000 signatures by September 18 to put the measure on a ballot next year. Once the petition passes, Kopp said it would be up to the Fair Board, Metro Council and Mayor Freddie O'Connell to make decisions about the property's future.
"We want everyone to weigh in on this, and if the community comes back and says we love it just the same, so be it. But the fact that this little bit of language in here has held this property hostage for so long, that's not allowing the city to have a conversation when we need to have a conversation," Kopp said.
Petitions circulated by the group have centered on the need for more affordable housing, but opponents have questioned the group's intentions and the tactics used to gather signatures.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates previously reported on questionable claims made by canvassers gathering signatures, who told residents the racetrack was going to be replaced regardless, suggesting they may as well sign and replace it with affordable housing.
None of the speakers at Tuesday's press conference addressed those concerns directly, other than to say they want Nashville to have a say in what happens with the property.
That includes protecting Brown’s Creek from pollution that Mekayle Houghton of Cumberland River Compact said is a direct result of what happens on the track.
“The current land use has a ton of pavement on it, so this pavement causes rainwater to fall and transport all the pollution from the racetrack directly into Brown’s Creek. Any restoration of Brown’s Creek will require a change in that land use,” Houghton said.
Vo, who represents District 17 where the racetrack sits, said she supports replacing the track if it means a cleaner space for residents.
"Nashvillians are telling us what they want: more green space, more affordable housing and cleaner air to breathe. The Fairgrounds gives us an opportunity to listen and build a future that better serves our community," Vo said.
Kopp said the racetrack is already losing the city money and argued that the site's real history predates auto racing.
"There's no such thing as historic asphalt or historic cinderblock. Instead, the real history of the speedway site was a scenic community green space called Cumberland Park," Kopp said.
Clemmons echoed that sentiment and said Nashville residents should have the final say.
"The true history and character of Nashville is in its people. In its neighborhood. Not in an asphalt oval. So, we fully support letting the people of Nashville decide," Clemmons said.
Both Clemmons and Hemmer previously served as Fair Board members and said they felt restricted by charter language that limited how the fairground property could be used.
"We were handcuffed by the existing charter language. So much of Nashville has grown and changed, but we haven't been able to grow with that," Hemmer said.
Voters approved a local referendum in 2011 to include racing as a protected use of the fairgrounds, but races have been few and far between since then. It's been more than 40 years since the last NASCAR Cup Series race at the track, but renewed interest from the company and race fans in recent years has Kopp and others concerned about a potential return to larger races.
Opponents of the effort have launched websites claiming to inform the public about what signing the petition means. Others hired attorneys and successfully had a prior petition thrown out by the courts for being too vaguely written.
When asked about the timeline and cost to taxpayers for a project this size, Kopp said the first step is getting the issue on a ballot.
