Final Vote On Zoning Bills

The D-7 election drama is over (kinda), but tension is still brewing in Nashville's Metro Council. Tonight, a number of highly contentious pieces of legislation are on the docket. But for Nashville residents, the new zoning proposals are top of mind.

The big zoning debate:

The same glaring question still looms over Metro’s new zoning proposals: Why is the Planning Department, along with a dwindling number of council members, so adamant about rubber-stamping this legislation? The lack of public trust and support for these bills has haunted the entire process.

Instead of learning from the mistakes made when Councilmember Quin Evans Segall and others attempted to ramrod NEST upzoning proposals through the council last year, the seemingly rushed process of introducing these four new zoning bills is giving Nashville residents déjà vu.

Do they even know what they’re voting on?

A strong case can be made that the council doesn’t entirely understand what they’re even voting on when it comes to this attempt at NEST 2.0. For starters, members are being asked to pass the legislation before the Planning Department has released the infrastructure impact study. In addition, during yesterday’s Planning & Zoning meeting, it was made public that the bill—which has been presented as creating two additional zoning districts—technically creates five.

Adding to the confusion, the messaging from the Planning Department—and other upzoning stans—has changed so many times it’ll make your head spin. At the beginning of the rollout, the zoning bills were presented as an affordable housing solution. During community meetings, city planner Greg Claxton started walking that narrative back by rebranding the new zoning districts as a tool to create “attainable housing.”

Another talking point that floated around during public information sessions was the term “gentle density.” When council members and residents started requesting more transparency regarding developments that could be pursued within new zoning districts, the Planning Department shifted gears by dismissing density concerns and ensuring members that the legislation simply establishes more neighborhood-friendly design standards.

On the docket:

The bill that adds two—ahem, five—additional zoning districts and the legislation that simplifies the code for detached accessory dwelling units (DADUs) are both on their final readings tonight. A number of amendments will be proposed, including changes to improve transparency and ensure reports for infrastructure and fiscal impacts.

A public hearing will be held for the upzoning bill that would make it easier to build duplexes within One- and Two-Family Residential Districts and sets new height limitations within those areas.

Councilmember Courtney Johnston is proposing a resolution requesting the Planning Department to create a county-wide map identifying areas that are appropriate for the new residential zoning districts.

Lastly, Councilmembers Thom Druffel and Tasha Ellis are sponsoring a bill on first reading that would require the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) to complete area transportation infrastructure analyses for certain site plans and rezonings.

Want to know more about these bills?

Check out our previous overview of the legislation and reporting on the RN zoning proposal, issues with DADUs, concerns over neighborhood infighting, and more.

The council meeting is at the Metro Courthouse starting at 6:30 p.m. and is live-streamed online.