This petition is hereby signed by concerned citizens that request the Metro Planning Commission to accept the Planning staff's recommendation to remove the planned I-440 interchange at Granny White Pike from the final submission of the Green Hills-Midtown Community Plan. The interchange was deemed not feasible as a recommendation for the community plan due to intense opposition from the community, no funding or plans for an interchange from TDOT and the regional MPO did not see a future use of the interchange as a strategic priority. Additionally, the area has historic value as a civil war battlefield and Native American site and that would become a factor in any environmental study.

The neighborhood would instead like to see the property follow the vision the State of Tennessee saw when they passed a resolution in 1998 stating, “the balance of the state owned property along I-440 Parkway between Belmont Boulevard and Interstate 65 to be opened to the public for use as parkland.” In May 2013, TDOT and Metro Parks furthered this vision and took a portion of the property and created the “Gale Lane Park” with a paved walking trail that cost over $77,000 and enabled Metro Parks to sign a 10 year lease for operations and maintenance of the property. Future uses and discussions of the state owned property should focus on community-based solutions that best utilize the property as green space.