This week’s episode of On the Curb covers a little bit of everything: an iconic California diner brand lands on Second Avenue, Elon’s Boring Company faces big fees and big questions over its Music City Loop, The Nations rezoning fight heats up, mortgage rates see their sharpest drop in a year, and Opry Entertainment secures a huge deal for Ascend Amphitheater.

Whether you’re commuting downtown, grabbing coffee in East Nashville, or just trying to keep up with what’s happening in the city, this episode has you covered.

The legendary Mel’s Drive-In — made famous in American Graffiti — has opened a 10,000-square-foot diner at 152 Second Ave. N., in the former B.B. King’s Blues Club.
🔗 Mel’s Drive-In opens downtown Nashville
🔗 Mel’s expansion announcement

The Boring Company is proposing a $300M underground tunnel system connecting downtown to the airport. But between a $1.7M annual airport fee, Mayor O’Connell’s 79 questions, and Ryman Hospitality lobbying for an Opryland connection, the project faces a long road.
🔗 Boring Co. faces $1.7M annual fee for Nashville airport tunnel
🔗 Boring Co. eyes $15 million per mile for Nashville loop
🔗 Convention Center potential stop
🔗 Ryman exec backs Opryland tunnel extension
🔗 Mayor O’Connell’s updated tunnel FAQ
🔗 Metro raises 79 questions to Boring Co.
🔗 Boring Company Music City Loop FAQ

A proposal to rezone more than 300 acres in The Nations has cleared its second reading — sparking hours of public comment and a heated council debate. Final vote is Sept. 19.
🔗 Nations rezoning plan coverage — Nashville Post
🔗 Council advances Nations rezoning — Nashville Scene

The September jobs report came in far weaker than expected — only 22,000 jobs added versus 75,000 forecast — pushing unemployment to 4.3%. Investors jumped into bonds, and mortgage rates dropped to 6.29%, the lowest since October 2024.

Opry Entertainment Group will operate Ascend Amphitheater under a $41M bid, with $11M in planned upgrades and $1.1M going toward greenway improvements.
🔗 Opry Entertainment secures Ascend Amphitheater deal

• Hospitality & Food: Iconic brands see Nashville as the first stop outside their home state.

• Transit & Infrastructure: Elon’s tunnel plan could reshape how people move in and out of the airport — or stall out in politics.

• Neighborhood Growth: The Nations rezoning could become a model for how Nashville handles density.

• Housing Market: Rates are dipping again, giving buyers and refinancers a rare window.

• Entertainment: Opry tightening its grip on Ascend keeps the venue locally rooted.

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Stories Covered

🍔 Mel’s Drive-In Opens First Location Outside California

🚇 Elon Musk’s Music City Loop Tunnel Update

🏘 Metro Council Advances Rezoning in The Nations

💸 Mortgage Market Update

🎶 Opry Entertainment Group Wins Ascend Amphitheater Deal

🔎 Why This Matters

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