Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

A report from the Urban Institute finds a mismatch between Nashville’s current zoning codes and the city’s “ambitious $3.1 billion transit investment plan,” dubbed “Choose How You Move.”

Rthvika Suvarna describes the report’s findings in Bloomberg CityLab, noting that the report shows only about 26 percent of Nashville’s housing units are within a half mile of the planned transit corridors. “These transit-adjacent areas are already experiencing pronounced gentrification, raising red flags about equitable access to improved bus service.” Meanwhile, zoning codes prohibit multifamily housing in many of these areas (and 90 percent of the city’s residentially zoned land). “The research also highlights a mismatch: Available multifamily development capacity is overwhelmingly concentrated in neighborhoods with the lowest property values, precisely where market-driven investment is least likely to materialize.”

According to Suvarna, “The city’s planning department projects a need for some 80,000 new housing units by 2040, but under current policies, only about 50,000 are likely to be built.” The report recommends more comprehensive zoning reforms to allow multifamily housing in more areas and “ensure that those who would benefit most from public transportation don’t find themselves increasingly isolated in transit-poor areas.”