{"id":15052,"date":"2016-08-06T20:15:35","date_gmt":"2016-08-06T14:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globalpress.hinduismnow.org?p=15049&amp;preview_id=15049"},"modified":"2016-08-06T20:15:35","modified_gmt":"2016-08-06T14:45:35","slug":"500-seat-hindu-temple-planned-for-south-nashville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/?p=15052","title":{"rendered":"500-seat Hindu temple planned for South Nashville"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div id=\"module-position-PPmuTHe3y_M\" class=\"story-asset story-metadata-asset\">\n<div class=\"article-metadata-wrap\">\n<section id=\"module-position-PPmuTHfpu5o\" class=\"storymetadata-bucket story-highlights-module story-story-highlights-module\">\n<aside class=\"comp story-highlights\">\n<h3 class=\"hlts\">Story Highlights<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"hlt\">\n<li class=\"hlt-item\">The temple would be first in Tennessee for the socio-spiritual Hindu organization, which has 150 Nashville-area followers.<\/li>\n<li class=\"hlt-item\">The 33,000-square-foot temple planned for 355 Haywood Lane is expected to draw 200 to 250 worshippers.<\/li>\n<li class=\"hlt-item\">Last fall, the zoning appeals board granted Agape Mission Church a special exception to build a 7,400-square-foot sanctuary at 331 Haywood Lane.<\/li>\n<li class=\"hlt-item\">The 5.8-acre site is part of 92 acres that in 2015 were rezoned to the current low-density residential category.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A Hindu sect is seeking a special exception\u00a0that would allow it to build a 500-seat temple on 5.8 acres in South Nashville.<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 4, the Metro Board of Zoning Appeals will consider the International Swaminarayan\u00a0Satsang Organization\u2019s request because the targeted\u00a0site\u00a0at 355 Haywood Lane is in a\u00a0residentially\u00a0zoned area.<\/p>\n<p>The temple would be the first in Tennessee for the\u00a0socio-spiritual\u00a0Hindu\u00a0organization,\u00a0which has roughly\u00a0150 followers\u00a0in the Greater Nashville area. Currently, those families meet every other week in rented space, said Manhar Patel, president of the\u00a0International Swaminarayan\u00a0Satsang Organization&#8217;s Tennessee chapter.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If we had a temple, more people can attend daily services,\u00a0prayers and get the blessing from the priest,&#8221; the Lewisburg, Tenn., resident\u00a0said.<\/p>\n<p>The planned 33,000-square-foot temple is expected to draw 200 to 250\u00a0worshippers. The International Swaminarayan\u00a0Satsang Organization, whose founder is His Holiness\u00a0T. J. Panday,\u00a0has\u00a019\u00a0temples nationwide and is seeking to add new locations in states such as Alabama and Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a good chance (of approval) because\u00a0there are already several churches on the street,\u201d said\u00a0Chris Jenkins,\u00a0project manager with civil engineering firm Sain Associates.<\/p>\n<p>Last fall, the Metro Board of Zoning Appeals\u00a0granted Agape Mission\u00a0Church a special\u00a0exception\u00a0to build a\u00a07,400-square-foot sanctuary at 331\u00a0Haywood Lane.<\/p>\n<p>At\u00a0a community meeting\u00a0Monday, some neighbors raised concerns about the proposed Hindu temple adding to\u00a0traffic along Haywood Lane.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause it\u2019s an\u00a0arterial\u00a0connector between Nolensville Pike and Interstate\u00a024, it\u2019s a very heavily trafficked\u00a0road,\u201d said Jim Hodge, a former Metro councilman who\u00a0owns property in that area. \u201cIf you build a church or any kind of commercial activity, you\u2019re going to increase the number of vehicles as opposed to a single-family home.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-PPmuTHeutsA\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\">\n<div style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/2f123e60302e82a7f5b5cc92cacd6d00e5f99483\/c=40-0-599-420&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2016\/07\/27\/TennGroup\/Nashville\/636052364576933918-355haywood.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" td-modal-image\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/2f123e60302e82a7f5b5cc92cacd6d00e5f99483\/c=40-0-599-420&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2016\/07\/27\/TennGroup\/Nashville\/636052364576933918-355haywood.JPG\" alt=\"A Hindu temple is planned on this property at 355 Haywood\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Hindu temple is planned on this property at 355 Haywood Lane. (Photo: Davidson County Assessor of Property)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a comment to the zoning appeals board, area resident Imojean Wilkins said she doesn&#8217;t want the temple in the neighborhood. &#8220;They can (find)\u00a0a place where there are not homes,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas W. Neel Jr. is\u00a0the owner of the 5.8-acre property\u00a0at 355 Haywood Lane, which sits across Haywood Lane from a location of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.\u00a0Closing of the\u00a0socio-spiritual\u00a0Hindu\u00a0organization&#8217;s\u00a0contract is contingent on obtaining the special exception from the zoning appeals board.<\/p>\n<p>The 5.8-acre\u00a0site\u00a0is part of 92 acres that in 2015 were rezoned to the current low-density residential category that allows for single-family dwellings on\u00a0a minimum 40,000-square-foot lot.<\/p>\n<p>Under the Southeast Community Plan, 355 Haywood Lane\u00a0is in a special policy area that&#8217;s intended\u00a0to maintain the development pattern of large residential properties with moderate to deep street setbacks and unusually large backyards.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the\u00a0Southeast Community Plan was\u00a0updated as part of the city&#8217;s<em>\u00a0<\/em>NashvilleNext 25-year growth plan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Story Highlights The temple would be first in Tennessee for the socio-spiritual Hindu organization, which has 150 Nashville-area followers. The 33,000-square-foot temple planned for 355 Haywood Lane is expected to draw 200 to 250 worshippers. Last fall, the zoning appeals board granted Agape Mission Church a special exception to build a 7,400-square-foot sanctuary at 331 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[16,17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15052"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15052\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}