Nashville Zoning Reform Opens Commercial, Retail Zones to Housing

An ordinance expanding ‘adaptive residential development’ could lead to thousands of new housing units.

1 minute read

July 29, 2024, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Neon signs on nightlife strip in Nashville, Tennessee.

Commercial strip on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee. | 4kclips / Adobe Stock

Changes to Nashville’s zoning regulations could help create thousands of new housing units. As Adam Mintzer explains for WKRN, a law passed by the city’s Metro Council expands “adaptive residential development,” opening up areas zoned for commercial, office, and retail use to residential projects.

Current city code allows for residential development along major arterial and collector streets in commercial districts, but Councilmember Rollin Horton says this is inappropriate because it puts homes near dangerous roadways.

According to Mintzer, “The final version of the bill also included an amendment making it so there can be no short-term rentals in the new housing units this bill creates.” The change could also help affordable housing developers, who can now avoid going through a costly zoning variance process.

Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in WKRN

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