WEST NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville is growing. But for many who call the city's west side home, the bigger question isn't how fast it's growing — it's whether it will still feel like home when the dust settles.
As part of the second Your Voice stop in West Nashville, I stopped in for lunch at a place where change is not on the menu: Wendell Smith's. The restaurant first opened in 1952 and has become a gathering place where enjoying comfort food is a shared experience among neighbors, friends and family.
"I think we all want those places, those iconic places, that have just been a staple," one customer said. "It's that comforting whether or not you're in there every week or even once a month anymore."
The visit raised an important question — who would know best about the changes happening in West Nashville?
Metro Council member Brenda Gadd has represented the 24th district for three years. She said one of her biggest responsibilities is making sure growth in the area is strategic — and not just about the almighty dollar.
"I would say it's being very intentional with what we select or change when we talk about one of the main things is about that a county member has somewhat control over is a zone you change," Gadd said. "And so being very, very intentional to not accept something unless the community has a lot of buy-in or if it's if the changes one that's truly going to make an improvement."
Improvements aren't always tied to something new. Sometimes, they're about preserving the past. Gadd pointed to the Belle Meade Theater as another spot that hits close to home for many longtime neighbors, and she described an ongoing effort to protect its legacy.
"And so what we've been working with with the property owner is to create historic landmark protection for that spire and for the marquee aspect of that building," Gadd said. "That doesn't prevent them from developing the building in ways that they can grow and still do what they need to for their family to thrive for the building owners."
For many residents, the theater carries decades of memories.
"Yeah, I've had so many folks talk about what first movies they saw there," Gadd said. "Whether that was Star Wars or something else that folks have lifted up."
Gadd said the challenge is finding ways to grow and welcome more people who want to plant roots in Music City — without leaving longtime residents behind.
"And so while we always are pushed to want more and more spaces for people to live in the end, it's also making sure that our spaces that people do currently live in feel like they can recognize it as home," Gadd said.
That sense of home — whether it comes from fond memories, a warm hug or a plate filled with comfort food — is exactly what West Nashville residents say they're fighting to hold onto.
"But it is someplace where folks when they've been out of town or maybe they don't live here with the, but they grew up near Wendell's," Gadd said. "They live elsewhere now. They come in because it's a part of home."
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