NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Edgehill is a neighborhood with major challenges, growing universities to the west, downtown, north, 12South and south. New homes and commercial development are everywhere in Music City with no signs of slowing.
"The median home price is $900,000 and 50% of our residents are under $42,000 a year. So if it takes 20 years to get there, I don't know that we'll have many of our original neighbors left," explained Allison Quintanilla-Plattsmier with the Edgehill Neighborhood Partnership.
"There's so little undeveloped land in Edgehill at this point that it's very difficult to really write the scales at this point. Again, most of the neighbors have been pushed out, and they're not going to be able to get their homes back at this point."
The city is currently working on a vision for Edgehill that would attempt to retain what makes up the community now, with a future that includes added green space and amenities that growth demands. But the plan may be a few years too late.
"A lot of companies and institutions are coming in, and they're benefiting from the neighborhood, but not really giving back. You know, the fact that we're still fighting for a grocery store in the neighborhood, after this long is is really disappointing. And many of our neighbors are getting pushed further south," said Quintanilla-Plattsmier
In other words, before any meaningful plan to help lower-income, long-time residents remain in their homes, they may already be long gone.
Edgehill to this day remains a food desert.
"Living in a food desert, you don't have the ability to go walk and get high-quality produce. So you're often not able to get high-quality nutrition, which can lead to poor health outcomes. Your paycheck is not going as far as you want," said Quintanilla-Plattsmier
For now, Quintanilla-Plattsmier remains focused on one objective, pushing back against the remake of her neighborhood. She hopes the city is listening.
"I think the more we can really put our neighbors in the driving seat in terms of what they would like to see and listening to them, and really valuing what we think they have to say, and what will make their neighborhood the best. That's what makes me hopeful."