On the heels of Cheekwood Estate & Gardens officials having recently announced plans for a $25 million structured parking garage — and with Metro advocating for a future access road to the nonprofit’s property — attention seemingly could eventually focus on a Highway 100 property Cheekwood acquired earlier this year.
The 1.35-acre property offers a residence and is located 6707 Highway 100, with an LLC affiliated with Cheekwood having paid $1,125,000 for it in February.
Of note, the property sits adjacent to Edwin Warner Park. As such, Cheekwood eventually could in theory seek an easement from the Metro Parks Department.
6707 Highway 100
If granted — Metro officials have not finalized where any future access road could be constructed but have offered some options — Cheekwood could create an entrance at the Highway 100 property, with a future road routed along the northern fringe of the Warner Parks property (again, via an easement) and connecting to the future Cheekwood parking facility. A home sits on Cheekwood’s Highway 100 property and would need to be demolished.
The Metro Parks Department and the Nashville Department of Transportation would be involved in any future access road.
As Scene sister publication the Nashville Post recently reported, and according to a release, the Parking Pavilion & Welcome Plaza is slated for completion in 2027 and will sit within the existing Cheekwood property footprint. This will satisfy Cheekwood’s agreement with the Metro Parks Department, which permits Cheekwood overflow parking on adjacent Warner Parks property until the 2027 date.
Cheekwood president and CEO Jane McLeod said the nonprofit has no immediate plans for the Highway 100 property, of which Metro is aware but has not stated specifically its preference for being part of any future entrance.
“When Cheekwood saw that property on the open market, we decided to purchase it, not knowing whether we would need it later," says McLeod. "And if not, we could sell it.”
Proposed city road through Warner Parks may violate 98-year-old covenant left by prominent businessman and politician Luke Lea
Relatedly, heirs of late Nashvillian Luke Lea, a businessman and politician who bequeathed the land now known as Warner Parks, have asked a court to formally rule whether the proposed road would violate restrictions in the 1928 legal documents conveying the land to the city.
The proposed road raised eyebrows in January with Warner Parks patrons and Belle Meade residents when it appeared as the central recommendation of Metro’s Belle Meade Highlands Design and Mobility Study. An access from Highway 100 was noted in the study (before Cheekwood acquired the Highway 100 property).
The study notes that traffic to Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, particularly on peak days, “exceeds recommended volumes for neighborhood streets, causing unsustainable conditions, safety concerns and frustration,” as well as creating parking overflow that requires coordination between Cheekwood and the city. The Metro proposal concerned many loyal park users and spurred organized opposition within Belle Meade and across Lea’s family lineage.
Similarly, the study reports that traffic generated by users of both Edwin and Percy Warner parks (and the latter's golf course) has created challenges, also.
The lawsuit now awaits a ruling from Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal. Among its dozen exhibits, the complaint — filed June 9 — includes several legal documents detailing the historic relationship between Lea’s covenant, Cheekwood and Metro.
Original land documents include other conditions on the property, such as Lea’s requirement that his land not be used for any “zoological purposes” nor any athletics other than golf. Current park uses include horse trails, mountain biking and cross-country racing.
In 2024, some Belle Meade Highlands neighbors circulated a petition, landing more than 500 signatures, focused on supporting the creation of a Cheekwood entrance off Highway 100. Currently, Cheekwood is accessed via Forrest Park Drive via both Cheek Road and Page Road (both of which are residential streets). It is that access that has some neighbors concerned.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
