Criteria for Town Hall Site Selection

At the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting on June 3^rd the Site Selection committee that reviewed over 10 alternate sites and recommended a specific site for the future town hall discussed the criteria that was used in the in their deliberations.  The financing deadline of June 1, 2010 had expired for the Town Center location which required demolition of the old Piggly Wiggly building. These criteria included the following:

1. Is this the right Town Hall location based on the Comprehensive Plan Draft, the Land Use Policy Plan,  the Economic Development Survey results and is it in close proximity to other community facilities (i.e. library, post office, recreation center, etc.)? 

“A Town Center should be developed in the central area of town incorporating a Town Hall, civic and institutional uses and a mixture of commercial uses catering to the local population and including high density residential developments.  The center should be compact and walkable.”  (Land Use Policy Plan, “Land Use Policies” Section, Part C, Commercial Development Policies, Item #1.)  

Goal:  Preserve and enhance the existing small town character of Nolensville while creating strong sense of town identity and community or “sense of place.” 

Objective:          Construct a Town Hall that can accommodate various civic events and meetings. (Land Use Policy Plan, “Vision Statement and Goals and Objectives” Section)

1. Is this site large enough (room for expansion) and does it have desirable characteristics (shape of parcel, visibility, accessibility, out of the flood plain, etc.) 
2. Does this site reinforce Nolensville’s strong sense of community by acting as a gathering place and providing interconnectivity with other community facilities? 

Goal:  Balance the need for new commercial growth with the desire to preserve existing businesses and the desire to enhance the existing small town character.

Objectives: 

• Promote a walkable, compact core of commercial, civic, institutional and residential uses near and within the existing commercial services area around Oldham Drive that requires buildings scaled to serve the local population.  (Land Use Policy Plan, “Vision Statement and Goals and Objectives” Section)
• Community facilities, such as the library, firehouse, municipal offices, and recreational facilities, must be adequate to meet the community’s needs, and should be located and designed in a manner that reinforces a strong sense of community.  (Goals & Objectives for the Nolensville Comprehensive Plan) 
• Community buildings should be located within close proximity to each other, as well as commercial buildings, to provide a focal point and sense of community.  (Goals & Objectives for the Nolensville Comprehensive Plan) 

A Resolution was presented to BOMA which included several “Where as” describing the past building history and concluded that, “The Mayor is authorized to enter into negotiations, pursuant to the recommendation from the Town Hall Site Committee, and enter into a letter of intent to purchase the town hall site recommended by the Town Hall Site Committee.  The letter of intent must state that a formal contract to purchase the site and the purchase would be completed only with Board approval.”    The Resolution was passed by BOMA unanimously.  The visuals portray the location directly north of First Tennessee Bank as presented by the committee. 

The visuals included:  Image 1

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