GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Every piece of land in Gallatin tells a story.
Some empty lots signal where the city is headed. Others show what has already been left behind.
Jenna Ingeman has lived in Gallatin for a long time, and the changes are impossible to miss.
"I've seen it happen in the neighborhood where I grew up. There used to be horse pastures and an estate towards the front of the neighborhood," Ingeman said. "And that's all been built up, put in a golf course and lots of townhomes in the front of the neighborhood."
Along with more homes and more people comes more traffic and questions about whether city services can keep up.
"Getting down to Nashville is a lot more difficult now. And I've seen that towards the Hendersonville side, getting towards Nashville has been difficult, but even towards the middle of Gallatin, towards the more central downtown, it's getting difficult to get out and get where you need to go early in the morning," Ingeman said.
City Councilmember Pascal Jouvence has heard similar concerns from constituents.
"What I see and what I hear from constituents is that we need to take care of what we have. So we don't get overwhelmed," Jouvence said.
Jouvence has filed a resolution asking the planning commission to study what a pause on new developments like apartments would do. But before that study can move forward, officials need to settle some definitions.
"We don't really have a definition of apartments. So they're going to have to define that, too, and see where we go from there," Jouvence said.
Ingeman, who owns a business in the city's downtown district, said some of the change has been welcome.
"I see our downtown district has been totally revitalized and my business is down here downtown. So I'm very excited to see that. I'm very excited to see all of the events that are happening on the square and getting people down here," Ingeman said.
As residents and leaders look at what growth should look like going forward, one thing is clear: the decisions made about Gallatin's land today will shape the city for years to come.
Are you watching Gallatin grow — and feeling it in your commute, your neighborhood, or your business? We want to hear your story. Watch our full report above, and share your thoughts or tips directly with reporter Kim Rafferty at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com. Your voice could shape our next report on growth in Gallatin.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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