Metro Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) is redeveloping an 88-acre parcel of land immediately adjacent to Downtown Nashville called Envision Cayce (EC).  Envision Cayce is a $600MM mixed income housing project which will redevelop James Cayce Homes projects.  On this parcel of land happen to grow some of the largest oak trees in Tennessee and certainly the largest grove of the largest oak trees in the city of Nashville.  There are just over 500 trees surveyed by CIVIC Engineering firm.  Details about the specific tree types and sizes are listed below.  In summary, there are 18 Oak Trees (variety of species) that measure over 4-feet in diameter on this parcel of land; 184 that are 3-feet in diameter or larger.  

We are calling for simply the following:  

1.    We request that MDHA hire an independent Certified Arborist to conduct a professional tree survey, tree health assessment, and tree preservation plan for the Envision Cayce campus, as set forth by ISA Standards.  The Certified Arborist will also be retained to work in conjunction with MDHA designers and engineers to optimize maximum preservation of large healthy trees, to the maximum extent practicable, and to ensure that industry-standard tree preservation measures are met and maintained through ALL phases of planning, design, and construction.

2.    We request that MDHA share with the public their efforts to preserve these massive trees through development, not just in the form of general public statements, but in the way of: building plans drawn, deliberation of alternatives, and discussion of specific avoidance/minimization efforts related to existing trees.  We request that MDHA have an ongoing, two-way dialogue with the public to discuss specific details of their earnest efforts to preserve these massive trees through all phases of development.  

3.    We request that MDHA meet with the Metro Tree Advisory Committee (MTAC) monthly to discuss which trees will be fallen during development and rationale, amongst other planning, which will impact tree canopy within this project.  MTAC has invited MDHA to attend monthly meetings held only 1/4 mile from MDHA Headquarters on several occasions only to receive no response or a decline every time.

4.    We request that more intelligence be added to the tree replacement guidelines found within the Specific Plan (SP) for Envision Cayce.  Currently, the SP indicates that medium, mostly non-native trees, be replaced within this entire project.  We ask that a diverse variety of native shade trees replace the large (massive) shade trees that are fallen.  Currently the SP does not include native canopy tree replacements, and if followed precisely, will lead to replacing with mostly non-native understory and other medium canopy producing trees such as London Planetree and Zelkova.

 

HOW BIG ARE THE TREES AT JAMES CAYCE HOMES? 

DBH, “Diameter Breast Height”, is measured 4 feet from where the soil meets to trunk of the tree. 

1. Big Tree = 20”+ DBH

2. Significant Tree = 30”+DBH 

3. Magnificent Tree = 50”+ DBH  (Over 4 Feet in Diameter) 

Any tree smaller than 20” was not included in analysis.  A 10-20” DBH tree is tree size that is considered “big” by many, but relative to the trees in Cayce, I adjusted the scale for perspective.

 
SNAPSHOT OF TREES:

 
80 (15%)Trees are Big Trees

184 (36%)are Significant 

18 (3%)are Magnificent

 
There are 11 Ash Trees.  Ash trees will either need to the treated for Emerald Ash Borer or be removed.  Most Ash trees were 20-30” DBH.

 
Most of these significant trees are "Northern Red Oak", "Willow Oak", or "Cherry Bark Oak".  They are not pioneer or softwood species like Hackberries.  Many of these trees are approximately one hundred years old as they were planted with the original building of James A. Cayce Homes in 1939 and we’re likely 10-15 years old during transplant, but the largest of these trees (those that measure over 4 feet in diameter) predate James Cayce Homes development by many more decades than those planted in the 1930s.  

OPTIMIZING MAXIMUM TREE PROTECTION:

We are asking MDHA to optimize maximum preservation of large healthy trees, to the maximum extent practicable.  What does this mean?  First, a Certified Arborist needs to determine which trees are worth saving.  Second, this means: shifting buildings to avoid healthy mature trees, considering different site layouts, moving roads and parking lots around trees, incorporating parking structures into buildings rather than huge parking lots, building taller buildings, clustering buildings, creating courtyards around trees, creating beautiful public spaces centered around the most beautiful specimens, and generally being flexible and creative in designs.  The tree considerations cannot end at final design; trees must be protected relentlessly and monitored during ALL phases of construction.  These are just some examples of how the future neighborhood can be enhanced by preserving the mature trees, making the most desirable and livable community for all.

THOUGHTS:

These trees in Envision Cayce Project should have special care and attention during Envision Cayce’s Development.  We should seek to have more transparency and accountability if and when one of these trees is decided to be taken down.  Removal of these trees should be minimized to the maximum extent. 

MDHA is a para-metro organization and receives hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding through Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and other public dollars.  MDHA is technically an independent organization, but is inescapably linked to significant public funding, and elected officials do have significant influence on MDHA by simple inquiry, if by nothing else.  The 88-acre parcel of land (James Cayce Homes) was donated to MDHA from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  

This is not a request to save every tree, this is not a request to halt or even slow Envision Cayce Housing Development, this is simply an ask that MDHA make all efforts to save as many large trees as possible, be more transparent with their efforts, show us their actions that they truly care about preserving these irreplaceable natural resources in our community, and overall give us (the public) the information we need to have in order to commend MDHA's hard work to preserve these massive trees through the development of this housing project with such a noble mission.