NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A commercial development in Sylvan Park has had residents calling foul.
"Is zoning just a suggestion or is it a law, you know," resident Bernard Pickney asked.
Pickney has lived in Sylvan Park for more than 30 years, now he has been living down the block from a controversial construction site.
"We had several very large public meetings and this was what was agreed to," Pickney said pointing at the blueprints.
The building in question will soon be a new restaurant but residents said the compromise they had with the developer was not what was built.
"We're looking forward to the restaurant now. The issue is that we believe the commercial developers have used some very creative and possibly not allowable codes to expand the original expansion over a thousand feet beyond what it was," resident Mike Irwin said.
"The floorplate of what is being built is in fact larger than what the SP zoning called for," Councilman Jason Holleman said.
Holleman has fielded questions about this particular site since the plans were announced two years ago. During the negotiations he said the developer wanted to build a larger building and the residents agreed to allow it under one condition, "if that was conditioned on a smaller section of the building than what they could've done by right be dedicated a restaurant," Holleman explained.
Now nearing its completion and larger than what zoning for it allows, residents said they feel they've been taken advantage of.
"We just want to have the commercial development built according to what was agreed to," said Irwin.
Officials with the planning and zoning committe have been expected to visit the site later this week and determine whether or not to put in place a work stop order. News Channel 5's attempts to contact the developer and Metro Codes were not successful.
