NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Residents in Crieve Hall say a new subdivision under construction in their neighborhood is not only causing damage to nearby homes, but never should have been built in the first place.
The Brooks at Crieve Hall development is located off of Broadwell Drive. According to the project website, BNA Development, LLC plans to build 7 homes on the site that will be priced at $900,000 and higher. Four of the lots are currently under contract.
Edgar Rothschild and Pamela Martin live down the road from the development. They say since construction started, their property has flooded three times - which has never happened before.
"I looked out the window and there was tidal wave coming from this direction into the yard," said Martin. "Three times this year? That's a trend."
Martin believes the new development is to blame. It is located on what was a dry dam area adjacent to Brentwood Branch Creek. After looking into the project further, Martin learned that the developer started construction without getting the necessary permits to proceed.
"Something has to be done to make sure they don’t harm the homes downstream from there," said Martin.
Martin and Rothschild said they are not against new development, but don't want it at the expense of already existing homes in the neighborhood. They would like to see the two homes that already partially built torn down, and the developer forced to conform to FEMA regulations and secure a proper permit before proceeding.
District 26 Metro Council Member Courtney Johnston said a "Stop Work Order" was issued and posted by Metro Codes against BNA Development, LLC. This requires all work to stop at the site while more research can be done. Neighbors reported work continued at the site a few days after the order was issued, but it has since been quiet at the location.
"Metro Codes has said they have actually never seen anything like this before," said Johnston. "We are on top of it. Every Metro department that has anything to do with it is 100 percent on top of it."
Johnston said while it is unlikely the existing homes will be torn down, a building permit will not be issued until the flooding issues are sorted out. She said the plan is to compare a new FEMA study with a private study of the site done by the developer. Metro has also requested an analysis of possible impact of the project upstream and downstream. She said fees can be tripled since the developer was building without a permit.
NewsChannel5 attempted to reach out to BNA Development LLC for a comment, but was unsuccessful. For more information on the project visit: https://www.brooksatcrievehall.com/
