Open Letter to Council Member Terry Vo
Martin & Merritt Rezoning Application - A Call for Transparency and Action
Dear Council Member Vo,
We are writing this open letter to request accountability and transparency regarding the Martin & Merritt rezoning application for the Wedgewood Houston area. After three years of good-faith collaboration, overwhelming community support, and unanimous Planning Commission approval, this project has stalled at City Council with no explanation or communication from your office.
The Timeline
The Planning Commission effectively approved this project in June 2025 but deferred the final vote at your specific request to allow additional time for you to meet with community members. Following that community engagement period, the Planning Commission unanimously approved the project on July 24, 2025.
It has now been over two months since that approval. Despite numerous attempts by the developer, community members, and the SomeraRoad team to contact your office, we have received no response. No explanation. No communication. No path forward.
Three Years of Extraordinary Community Engagement
Over the past three years, SomeraRoad has conducted 12 community meetings and made over 1,000 modifications to address community concerns, including:
Significantly reducing building height
Eliminating the controversial Hamilton Street access
Reducing the overall number of units
Committing to funding sidewalk improvements
Providing detailed economic justification for all project components, including the hotel economics letter from Aparium that you specifically requested
Collaborative Work with All Stakeholders
In the final phase of planning, SomeraRoad worked extensively with key stakeholders to address every concern:
NDOT (Nashville Department of Transportation):
Coordinated on alley and driveway connections
Received NDOT approval for connecting the alley to Merritt over the Hamilton option
Incorporated official transportation department input on traffic flow solutions
Immediate Neighbors:
Direct collaboration with residents bordering the project site
Three residents living directly across from the proposed location are extremely vocal supporters
Addressed specific concerns of those most directly impacted by the development
The people who will be most affected by this project are among its strongest advocates
Your Office:
Ongoing attempts at direct communication and collaboration
Provided all requested documentation
Addressed every specific concern raised during your tenure
Made additional modifications based on your feedback
Demonstrated willingness to work collaboratively on all feasible requests
Overwhelming Community Support
The community engagement you requested took place, and the results were unambiguous: the community overwhelmingly supports this project. The residents who will experience daily interaction with this development are vocal advocates for it. The Planning Commission unanimously approved it. NDOT has signed off on the transportation elements.
Every stakeholder has done their part—except for one.
The Questions That Need Answers
Council Member Vo, we respectfully but firmly request answers to the following questions:
What is the current status of the Martin & Merritt rezoning application?
Are there specific concerns or issues that have not been addressed? If so, what are they, and why haven't they been communicated despite months of outreach?
What is the anticipated timeline for bringing this matter before City Council?
Why has your office not responded to months of communication attempts from multiple stakeholders?
A Call for Accountability
Three years of collaboration. Twelve community meetings. Over 1,000 modifications. Unanimous Planning Commission approval. Overwhelming community support. Direct support from immediate neighbors. NDOT approval. Every request honored. Every concern addressed.
And yet—silence.
The residents of Wedgewood Houston deserve elected officials who communicate with their constituents. The community deserves transparency about why a project with this level of support and this depth of collaborative process cannot move forward. SomeraRoad has demonstrated extraordinary good faith. The community has spoken clearly.
We are asking you to do the same.
Please provide the community with an update on this application, explain what concerns remain unaddressed, and outline a path forward. If you oppose this project, the community deserves to know why and to have that opposition stated clearly and publicly.
We remain willing to work collaboratively with your office, but collaboration requires communication. We look forward to your response.
Respectfully but expectantly,
Earnes Morgan
Wedgewood Houston Resident
This letter
This letter represents the concerns of multiple community members, residents, and stakeholders who have attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with Council Member Vo's office regarding this matter.
