"I came to realize that I would never have the chance to work in an administration with somebody that I [am] so closely aligned with on issues. It makes it really easy to go to work.” – Bob Mendes, speaking of his working relationship with Mayor O'Connell

Climbing the Charts was excited to sit down with Bob Mendes, Chief Development Officer for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, to learn about the future of Nashville’s East Bank, the series of events and negotiations that paved the way for a new, $2.1+ billion dollar Titans stadium, as well as other challenges and opportunities Music City’s new development director sees in his crystal ball.

And while the East Bank is one of the largest projects ever undertaken by a city, Bob wanted to be clear that though he will dedicate time to the East Bank project, his focus is on development in and for Nashville as a whole.

“My whole mission is just to affect positive change with people, and housing is such a key component to people’s health, well-being, and safety.” -- Andrea Prince

According to Nashville's 2021 Affordable Housing Task Force, chaired by Mayor John Cooper, the city must create 52,498 new housing units by 2030—a daunting challenge, given that only 1,344 affordable units were being built annually at the time of the report.

Today on The Climbing the Charts Podcast, as recorded by our sister podcast The Real Estate Mailbag, we're joined by Matthew Wiltshire, President of Pathway Affordable Housing Corp. and former Chief Strategy Officer at MDHA, Andrea Prince, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Nashville, and Joshua Haston, Development Manager at LDG Development, LLC and Board Member of the Nashville Industrial Board. These leaders share their personal journeys and insights into tackling Nashville’s housing crisis, discussing innovative city tools and divisive zoning proposals debated in Metro Council. They also explore the impact of Tennessee’s new “home bond” bill on affordable housing.

Tune in to understand why affordable housing isn't just crucial for your future, but for the future of Music City itself!

“We’re not building new roads (for the most part), so it’s about trying to use that [existing] infrastructure in better ways that meet our modern needs.” --Michael Briggs, director of mobility at Vanderbilt University's Transportation and Mobility Office, currently on loan to the City of Nashville as a director of transportation planning through 2024

On November 5, 2024, less than six months from today, Nashvillians will go to the polls to vote on critical issues and races, including who will serve as our nation’s President. Locally, however, Nashvillians will also vote on a multibillion dollar transportation improvement program called Choose How You Move, the first transit referendum to appear on the local ballet since 2018.

Climbing the Charts sat down with Briggs to discuss why transit should be considered essential infrastructure, how this plan differs from the prior failed transportation plans presented to Nashvillians and explores how improving transportation addresses broader community needs (affordable housing being at the top of that list).