QuarexNews

Nashville, Tennessee
April 22, 2026
📰 Top Stories

Metro Council Set to Vote Tonight on Major East Bank Scrapyard Rezoning Plan

The Metro Council will decide on a rezoning plan for the old East Bank scrapyard on Tuesday after delaying a vote at their last meeting, marking the third and deciding vote for the proposal. The plan would convert the old PSC scrap metal site into a massive mixed-use development with downtown-style skyscrapers.

The Planning & Zoning Committee considered 31 amendments at its meeting Monday night, recommending 19 be added to the bill on the floor Tuesday, including limits on hotels and parking in the district, zoning restrictions on new stadiums or arenas, asks for roadway plans and a transportation analysis, and defined standards for bonus height on a prominent parcel. Residents have raised concerns about infrastructure, traffic into downtown and whether the new East Bend neighborhood, as it's been dubbed, will be for residents or for tourists, while Metro Councilmember Jacob Kupin, who represents the area, backs the rezoning and pitches the plan as a path to converting an industrial wasteland into a vibrant new urban neighborhood.

If approved, the project, known as "East Bend," would transform the 47-acre riverfront property into a large mixed-use development with buildings ranging from eight to 40 stories. The scrapyard was sold to local investors for $245 million in August, and the current redevelopment plan has faced pushback from some Nashvillians who are worried it would essentially be an extension of downtown.

🌤 Weather

Nashville Weather: Clear sky, 56°F

Current conditions in Nashville: Clear sky, 56°F (feels like 54°F). Humidity: 66%. Wind: 3 mph.

Today's forecast: High of 81°F, low of 55°F. No active weather alerts.

Data from OpenWeatherMap as of April 22, 2026.

Sources: OpenWeatherMap
🛡 Crime & Public Safety

Nashville Crime Drops 20% in 2026 as Sexual Assault Reports Rise

Crime in Nashville is down 20% so far this year, with 2,000 fewer crimes reported compared to this time last year, with city leaders saying Nashville is seeing double-digit decreases in violent crime, property crime and car thefts. Crime is down in Nashville across every category except one, according to new city data from the first quarter of 2026, with sexual assault being the only category that saw an increase compared with 2025, officials say.

Nashville's sexual assault reporting rate is around 70%, compared to a national average between 28 and 32%, with the Family Safety Center having opened a new on-site forensic assessment clinic so victims of domestic violence can be examined on-site instead of going to a hospital, funded through Metro's Community Improvement Program and staffed through partnerships with Metro Public Health, Nashville General Hospital and the Office of Family Safety. The center served more than 12,000 clients last year, including 1,300 children.

Adult felony arrests were up 7% in 2025 and up 12% in the first quarter of 2026, with Drake saying crime was down across the board last year and has fallen so far this year, but said more tools would let them get even more criminals. Although they've reduced motor vehicle thefts by 40%, that's still 600 people that have been victimized by this crime.

🏆 Sports & Recreation

Reports Claim Nashville to Host 2030 Super Bowl as New Stadium Construction Continues

The report stemmed from sportscaster Dan Patrick revealing a source confirmed to him the 2030 Super Bowl will take place in Music City, with The Tennessean reporting a representative from the Titans said there are "no updates on the timeline of a Nashville Super Bowl" and that nothing had been confirmed. Alex Apple, press secretary for Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, told USA TODAY on April 21 "We joined a large coalition with a letter of support for the idea of hosting a Super Bowl in Nashville," adding "We have not been advised by the league of Nashville's selection or any potential dates."

Construction continues at the Tennessee Titans new stadium in Nashville as of Tuesday, March 24, 2026, with the new Nissan Stadium expected to open in 2027, the team reported. Late last year, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell dubbed Nashville a "Super Bowl ready city." With the arrival of the Titans new stadium in 2027, the chances of Nashville getting to host a Super Bowl in the future increase exponentially.

On January 22, 2026, the Titans hired Robert Saleh as their new head coach, and on January 27, 2026, the Titans hired former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll to be the team's offensive coordinator. On March 12, 2026, the Titans revealed new uniforms; this is their first uniform change since 2018, along with unveiling a new logo, eliminating the flames from the previous logo.

💼 Economy & Jobs

Starbucks Announces $100 Million Investment to Bring 2,000 Jobs to Nashville

Starbucks is investing $100 million in a new Nashville hub, building toward about 2,000 jobs and expanding beyond Seattle, with the company announcing plans Tuesday to invest $100 million and bring 2,000 jobs to Nashville as it builds a major corporate hub to anchor its Southeast expansion. Starbucks expects to bring the jobs to Nashville over the next five years, including new roles, work brought in-house from contractors and some relocated teams, with roles spanning supply chain, technology and broader support functions, with some teams — including in Starbucks Technology — moving from Seattle.

Starbucks will open a temporary Nashville office in The Gulch in May before moving into a permanent space in the Peabody Union complex in 2027, where it will occupy an entire building, with Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol stating "Nashville gives us an opportunity to support that growth with great talent and proximity to our growing number of coffeehouses and suppliers across the Southeast." The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development collaborated with the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and other agencies to bring Starbucks to Nashville.

Tennessee's unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent in January 2026, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, beating the national average of 4.3 percent and signaling a stable job market in Nashville amid steady statewide employment. Nashville is drawing major corporate offices as companies expand beyond traditional headquarters hubs, with In-N-Out Burger building a 100,000-square-foot corporate office in the area that is expected to open later this year.

🎓 Schools & Education

Wilson County School Board Approves $438,000 Purchase of Four Additional Mobile Weapon Detection Systems

The Wilson County School Board voted on purchasing four weapon detection systems during a meeting on Thursday, with the four Evolv weapons detection systems costing nearly $440,000; however, state grants will cover most of the expense, leaving the school district to pay a little more than $15,000. Upon the board's approval, the four new systems would get high school and middle school usage, with the units being rotated through the districts high schools and middle schools on an unannounced schedule.

The cost includes $249,200 for the four units; $177,475.20 for annual software subscriptions; and $10,965.20 for a test kit and installation of the units, with the district already having seven units from the same company, one of which is permanently stationed at Barry Tatum Academy and the other six rotating through the schools. Because the units are mobile, they can be used at sporting events as well, with WCS Director Jeff Luttrell saying "Two years ago, this board made the decision to add weapons detection systems," adding "Our goal is to add more and more weapons detection units within the schools within the budget."

Both Metro Nashville Public Schools and Rutherford County Schools use similar detection technology to screen students at schools and at large events, with Metro Nashville Public Schools having reported that six guns at different schools were detected by its Evolv weapons detection scanners since installation in 2025.

🚧 Transportation & Infrastructure

Metro Nashville Launches 24 Downtown Rideshare Pickup Zones to Ease Traffic Congestion

Metro Nashville will launch 24 designated rideshare pick-up zones downtown in May, aimed at easing traffic around Music City. City officials with the Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT) say rideshare drivers stopping for passengers has contributed to traffic delays and safety concerns, with cars blocking moving traffic, as well as bus and bike lanes, with Brent Shultz with NDOT telling the Metro Nashville Traffic and Parking Commission this week "When it gets busy, it's a mess."

Under the new plan, 24 rideshare zones will be established, roughly the size of three parking spaces, and clearly marked with signage and geofencing technology, with rideshare apps directing passengers to the nearest designated location to get in or out of their Uber or Lyft. At least 31 parking meters would be removed, which would result in the loss of roughly $35,000 annually, with the zones taking up a total of 31 metered spots, with an expected loss of around $170 for the city each day.

Starting next month, the goal is to roll out 24 rideshare pickup and dropoff zones, which will operate from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. Thursdays through Sundays, with drivers having three minutes to stop. Joseph Hill, a rideshare driver with the Tennessee Drivers' Union, said "This was actually one of our main demands, to have these new rideshare pick-up zones downtown."

🏗 Housing & Development

Downtown Nashville Development Surge Continues with Six New Luxury Hotels Under Construction

Nashville is slated for six new luxury hotels, which will see construction activity in 2026, with perhaps most notably, a Ritz-Carlton hotel and residential building planned for The Gulch near Kayne Prime, previously home to advertising firm Bohan. Also, there's a 46-story, 651-foot-tall St. Regis hotel planned — that will dwarf its next-door neighbor the J.W. Marriott, which stands at 386 feet tall and 34 stories, with the St. Regis taking the cake for the tallest hotel in the city when completed.

The bulk of Nashville's development activity this year will be in luxury hotels and in the East Bank area, with Wedgewood-Houston projects already under construction, with Nashville, luxury hotels, East Bank and Wedgewood-Houston all seeing continued building this year. In addition, full-scale work is expected to begin in 2026 on the Oracle campus at River North and on multiple buildings to be located in the heart of the East Bank and near the under-construction NFL stadium.

New construction accounted for more than one in five East Nashville closings every month in Q1 2026, with 41 new homes closing across zip codes 37206 and 37216, representing 22.3% of all residential sales in the area, selling at a $899,000 median and $923,000 average, commanding a 53% to 71% premium over resale homes depending on the month.

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