06/22/2026
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CITIZENS OF DAVIDSON COUNTY
As many of you know, Davidson County asked that the Board of Adjustment hearing challenging the legality of the Sportsplex be postponed and it was rescheduled for July 28.
The reason for that request should concern every resident of Davidson County, regardless of where they stand on the Sportsplex itself.
The legal question before the Board of Adjustment is whether the Sportsplex is permitted under the zoning ordinance that existed when the County approved the project, approved permits, and began moving forward with construction.
According to the County’s own Motion to Continue, the County is seeking additional time so that the Board of Commissioners can consider adopting a new zoning use on Monday night that would apply to the Sportsplex and potentially render the pending appeal moot.
Think about what that means.
If the existing ordinance clearly authorizes the Sportsplex, why is a new zoning use necessary?
Should government be required to follow the same rules that it expects citizens to follow?
Imagine if a private developer obtained approvals for a project, was challenged by neighboring property owners, and then asked County officials to rewrite the zoning ordinance before the challenge could be heard. Most citizens would hope the county wouldn't change the rules to sidestep the concerns and legal challenges of the property owners.
Yet that is precisely the situation Davidson County now asks its citizens to accept for its Sportsplex project.
This is not about whether you support or oppose the Sportsplex.
Reasonable people can disagree about whether Davidson County should spend $65 million on a regional destination sports complex.
Reasonable people can disagree about the location, size, cost, traffic, noise, lighting, or economic impact of the project.
What should not be controversial is that the county waving its magic wand to change the laws to save its own project shows a lack of integrity from elected officials and county employees. This "by any and all means necessary" approach the county has taken will lead many people to lose faith in the process.
When government seeks to postpone a hearing while pursuing legislation designed to affect the outcome of that hearing, people begin to question whether the result has already been predetermined.
Trust in government is difficult to earn and easy to lose.
Once citizens begin to believe that ordinances can be rewritten whenever an unpopular government project encounters legal obstacles, public confidence in government institutions suffers.
That damage extends far beyond the Sportsplex.
It affects every zoning decision, every public hearing, every permit, and every future promise made by elected and appointed officials.
Monday night’s public hearing is therefore about more than a text amendment.
It is about whether Davidson County will decide this matter under the ordinance that existed when the County began this project, signed contracts, and approved permits, or whether the rules will be changed after the fact.
It is about whether citizens can have confidence that public hearings matter.
It is about whether government will be held to the same standards that it expects from everyone else.
Please attend the Davidson County Commissioners’ public hearing on Monday, June 22, at 6:00 pm at the Davidson County Government Center.
