The ABC Community Development Initiative

We believe the $120 million Jefferson Street Cap Project proposed by Mayor John Cooper and the City of Nashville did not go far enough, and on its own would have caused additional harm to affected communities. At the time we expanded the Honorable Mayor John Cooper’s initial proposal by requesting an additional $120 million (to be released 2022 to 2027) to comprehensively initiate community and economic development to involve and benefit those in Davidson County who have been most affected by the wrongs wrought by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 – the residents of North Nashville. We strongly believed this Initiative — and any future reconsideration — is needed alongside the Jefferson Street Cap Project to ensure effective retrofitting and to mitigate economic barriers caused by the I-40 construction through North Nashville.

There are three components to the ABC Community Development Initiative, which will directly deliver a generational investment into the Nashville community:

  • A - The Attainable and Affordable housing component preserves, maintains, and creates housing that fairly and equitably benefits native Nashvillians as well as new arrivals to Nashville.

  • B - Black Business development includes small business recruitment and retention for the 37208 zip code and beyond in Nashville, including specific emphasis on businesses lost during the original I-40 construction such as drug stores, grocery stores, and cafes that were all within easy walking distance of the residents in the area.

  • C — Community compassion will seek to rescue, rehabilitate, and provide a resurgence for individuals and families that were unfairly and negatively impacted by the interstate system. These three components will directly deliver a generational investment into the Nashville community.

By proposing the ABC Community Development Initiative alongside Mayor Cooper’s Jefferson Street Cap Project, we encourage a holistic approach to righting the wrongs of the past.

Learn more about USDOT Reconnecting Communities program and more in our Resources page.