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A resolution recognizing the importance of access to the Cumberland River for Nashville residents, small businesses, and visitors.
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WHEREAS, the Cumberland River has always been an important asset to Nashville and Davidson County as a source for water, transportation, resource, natural beauty, hydrological performance, as well as for commercial, industrial, and recreational purposes; and
WHEREAS, Fort Nashborough, the predecessor to the City of Nashville, was founded on the
banks of the Cumberland River in 1780; and
WHEREAS, the Cumberland River has also been a historically critical part of how downtown has developed over time. The city wharf was located on the western side of the Cumberland River and the street now known as First Avenue was known as "Water Street", evidencing the importance of the river to Nashville's development; and
WHEREAS, the Cumberland River is a municipal waterway, which is a public asset for all of Nashville and should be accessible by all Nashvillians; and
WHEREAS, a municipal waterway like the Cumberland River can also be used as transit, both public and private; and
WHEREAS, over time, many plans for the use of the Cumberland River have been started but have not come to fruition. In 2006, the Metropolitan Department of Parks and Recreation released the Riverfront Park Plan but this plan was never adopted; and
WHEREAS, today, the Cumberland River is difficult to access and underutilized by the public from the Downtown Riverfront; and
WHEREAS, on October 6, 2022, the Planning Commission adopted the Imagine
East Bank Vision Plan which highlights the Cumberland River as Nashville's most significant natural resource, sets a goal of improving river access, connecting the riverfront, providing a great riverfront park, and activating the river, and seeks to optimize stormwater management and riparian management; and
WHEREAS, during the
East Bank planning process, community feedback noted that the
east bank of the C...
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