NASHVILLE, TN — The Music City Loop, known by critics as the Big Dumb Hole, continues to spark controversy amid continued public outcry against the secrecy around the project from its primary sponsors, Elon Musk and his Boring Company. The Loop, which detractors say could negatively impact Nashville’s environment, Nashville’s residents, working-class citizens, including Black and minority communities, and public transportation efforts that would likely be far more affordable to locals, recently received a council resolution from Council Member at Large Delisha Porterfield and nine other council members.
The resolution was critical of the Loop and submits the ten council members as against the project by raising concerns around its proposed tunnels, the Boring Company’s lack of transparency and lack of community engagement, and addresses the company’s troubling labor practices.
Tristan Warner of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) said he and other party members were present both when the resolution was supposed to be voted on in December and on the January date it was pushed to. He said their presence was an attempt to bring attention to PSL’s criticism that the resolution itself is not sufficient in addressing concerns regarding the Music City Loop, or as they also call it, “Big Dumb Hole.”
“We thought the wording of the resolution is pretty good,” Warner said regarding PSL’s response. “But the shortcoming is that it’s just a symbolic act. It doesn’t stop construction, and we think that the council can do more.”
Warner said one main issue the Loop is going to need resolved is its questions related to zoning, with the Boring Company submitting that because they are building underneath state roads, they do not need local approvals.
Warner said, however, after PSL reviewed Nashville’s municipal codes, they discovered Nashville City Council has the power to stop Music City Loop construction now. Warner said traditionally, no construction projects should or can start without all approvals being in place. This includes a comprehensive review of every aspect of the project being approved by code enforcement, which Warner said PSL knows is not the case due to the simple fact that the Boring Company has not even revealed the full extent of the land they will be using.
“So, by municipal code, work should be halted, should never be allowed to start until they get all these approvals and these zoning changes,” Warner said. “Just the same way a regular landowner in Nashville is limited by zoning and codes, so should the Boring Company be.”
Warner said the Boring Company’s argument of being able to circumvent local approval also doesn’t hold up as well when considering that they and Musk have also said they want to have a minimum of 20 different stations attached to the tunnel. In fact, Warner said the Boring Company has already begun purchasing lands abutting the route of the tunnel, including a subsidiary purchasing a church property at the Stardust Acres subdivision, near Nashville BNA Airport off Murfreesboro Pike.
“They need to do a minimum of 20 different stations on the initial 10-mile route. So, 20 stations means the purchase of additional land, and this land may or may not be zoned properly for that usage,” Warner said. “They’re going to seek zoning changes from the city.”
Warner said Nashville can still stop the “Big Dumb Hole.” Warner said PSL is hosting a community organizing meeting at the Bordeaux Library on Sunday, March 1, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and citizens can also see future updates regarding the Loop at bigdumbhole.com and on Instagram at @pslnashville.
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