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A resolution supporting a proposed landscaping project by the Metropolitan Department of Water and Sewerage Services, in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), at the interchange of TN State Highway 155 and County Hospital Road (Proposal No. 2025M-032AG-001).
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WHEREAS, pursuant to Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s Executive Order No.41, the urban tree canopy is a recognized utility, managed as an asset with tree protection and expansion programs. Pursuant to Section 2.01(8) of its Charter, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County adorns its streets, roads, alleys, and walkways with trees; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Government conducts landscaping activities, including the planting and maintenance of trees, through the Department of Water and Sewerage Services and other departments of the Metropolitan Government; and
WHEREAS, Metro Water Services provides for the installation and maintenance of trees within the public right-of-way and coordinates Metropolitan Tree Policy within Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, the interchange of Tennessee State Highway 155 and County Hospital Road, located adjacent to the Cumberland River, is a major highway intersection consisting of approximately fifteen (15) acres of land currently devoid of trees or other landscaping; and
WHEREAS, Metro Water Services and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) wish to improve the appearance and functionality of this interchange with landscaping, including the planting of appropriate tree species, pursuant to the TDOT Guidelines for Gateway Projects and TDOT Landscape Design Guidelines; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to a proposed landscaping plan, Metro Water Services desires to plant a variety of tree species within the public right-of-way spaces enclosed within the interchange; and
WHEREAS, the TDOT Guidelines for Gateway Projects require landscaping project applications for state highway locations to include “a resolution passed by the relevant local legislative body in support of the proposed landscaping project” and as well as “an approval letter from the affected county executive/mayor or municipal mayor”; and
WHEREAS, a copy of the Application describing the proposed landscaping plan is attached hereto as Exhibit A; and a copy of the approval letter from Mayor Freddie O’Connell, dated July 28, 2025, is attached hereto as Exhibit B; and
WHEREAS, Tennessee Code Annotated § 12-9-104(b) authorizes the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County to enter into agreements with the State by resolution; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of the Metropolitan Government and the citizens of Davidson County that the Metropolitan Council support this proposed landscaping plan.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. The Metropolitan Council hereby expresses its support for the proposed landscaping plan for the interchange of State Highway 155 and County Hospital Road, prepared by the Metropolitan Department of Water and Sewerage Services in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
Section 2. This resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.