North Nashville business owner hopes to make impact on trash-filled area

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Neighbors and business owners are saying litter scattered around a North Nashville market has begun to spread.

At the corner of Buchanan Street and Doctor D.B Todd Jr. Boulevard, people say they can see wrappers, empty bottles and tattered clothes all over the grass patches along the street.

Lisa Stetar is the chief executive officer of Crossroads Campus, a unique program featuring a pet retail store, grooming salon and adoption center all in one. Stetar opened a new location in the Buchanan area this year and said the mess is mere inches away from her business.

“Yeah, the litter is a hassle,” Stetar said. “We’d love to see the litter go away.”

People said they know exactly where it’s coming from because they see it happen, claiming they watch people hang around Star Market and Northwest Liquors and throw whatever they can onto the street.

“We knew this was going to be a problem when we came here,” Stetar said. “We had our eyes wide open.”

Stetar said the issues are why she opened a new location in the area, stating she came here to “create more affordable housing and create more jobs.”

“This neighborhood felt like a place where we could make an impact,” Stetar said.

Stetar said she has built more than 20 young adult affordable housing apartments, and a building under construction nearby will be a café she says she hopes to use to employ people in the community.

“The goal here is to catch some young people now and help them build a future that keeps them from ever being in this position when they are 30 or 40-years-old,” Stetar said.

The Metro Nashville Police Department said the area has been an issue for years, and that officers make arrests at the intersection nearly every day.

WSMV4 reached out to the city for answers on what can be done to solve the litter issue.

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