Nashville, You Will Rent It and You Will Like It

New zoning bills are a rentability solution with more options for developers

From Megan Podsiedlik

The death of single-family zoning: “Just wanted to check in and say we did a damn thing tonight,” said Councilmember Quin Evans Segall in a video she posted after last week’s council meeting. “We basically upzoned roughly 200 square miles in Nashville.”

Segall—who spearheaded last year’s failed upzoning initiative, NEST—celebrated the council’s decision to essentially make single-family zoning obsolete within the Urban Services District. The at-large council member also explained that those who live within the General Services District also have the opportunity to opt in and build additional dwelling units on their property as well. “It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t always fun, and we have more to go,” she wrote.

Segall isn’t the only one still clinging to the narrative that upzoning will increase density and solve the city’s middle housing crisis. In the wake of last week’s vote, local outlets have continued to cover the initiative as “a broader effort to expand the city’s affordable housing” as “home prices skyrocket” in Nashville.

This isn’t a solution; it’s a tool: Though increased density can encourage more competition within the housing market, the Planning Department quickly pivoted away from touting the legislation as a silver bullet that will solve Nashville’s affordability issues. Instead, they backpedaled and rebranded the rollout as a way to add more tools to Metro’s toolbox.

Mind you, everything that was passed within these new bills can already be pursued using Metro’s existing code. That said, there are two major changes that place the interest of developers over residents and encourage renting over owning.

Developers over residents: When applied, Metro's new RN zoning district allows for the construction of anything from a single-family home to a townhouse court. While these zoning district options create building restrictions that have been presented as a way to rein in developers and avoid another “tall skinny” invasion, the scope of application has left residents questioning whether it does more to help developers hide their intentions than it does to protect neighborhoods.

“With the new regulation, RN…[the people in the neighborhood] don't know what I'm going to build,” said one resident while walking the Planning Department through a hypothetical situation during a community presentation in October. “I could build a beautiful, single-family that everyone loves, or I could build something that I can make a lot more money on, but I don't have to tell you.”

Rentability over ownership: The other major change may come as a consequence of the blanket legislation that makes it easier to add Detached Accessory Dwelling Units. While DADUs are a great way for residents to create additional housing options on their property, a case can be made that adding accessory dwelling units to properties will actually make home ownership less attainable.

“A DADU, by definition, is going to increase the value of the property, making it less likely for people to be able to buy it,” explained a commentator during another community meeting on the zoning proposals this fall.

Perhaps the prices will go down with the quality? Maybe it’ll all come out in the wash if prices are driven down as areas become less desirable due to flooding, lack of parking, and an increase in narrow roads that are inaccessible to emergency vehicles. But hey, I guess we’ll find out how the council plans on addressing the impact of increased density on infrastructure after they’re done upzoning Nashville.

Join Us Tonight for an evening with writer Aaron Renn. Renn's recent book, Life in the Negative World, talks about being a Christian in a culture hostile to Christianity.

At our event, he will discuss this in addition to the crisis of civic leadership plaguing cities like Nashville. Aaron runs a very popular Substack, has written for The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic and was recently profiled in the New York Times. Currently, he's a Senior Fellow at American Reformer.

This is the first in a new series of monthly lectures we'll be hosting. Paying subscribers receive free access to this and future events. (Buy Tickets)

HEADLINES

• 🏎 Coalition files petition to end auto racing at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. (NewsChannel5)
• 👽 Nashville judge cancels evidentiary hearing for illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (Nashville Conservative)
• 🛡 Nashville judges demand extra security after Representative Andy Ogles exposes democrat judiciary’s release of migrant rape suspect. (TN Star)
• 🚜 Governor Lee applauds $12 billion in USDA ‘bridge’ payments for farmers hurt by trade disruption, high costs. (Lookout)
• ⚖️ In a twist in Nashville’s legal fight with the Trump administration, HUD has withdrawn its 2025 Continuum of Care Notice of Funding Opportunity — just minutes before a judge was set to hear the city’s request for a temporary restraining order. (NewsChannel5)

LOCAL FLAIR

DEVELOPMENT

• Whataburger to shutter four Middle Tennessee locations (Post)
• Big Loud pays $13.1M for MetroCenter building (Post)
• Developer takes major loss in Pie Town deal (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🪕 RADIOLA @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info

🎸 Futurebirds @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, 8p, Info

🪕 Ben Chapman's Peach Jam @ The Basement East, 8p, $19.83, Info

🎄 Elf in Concert w/ Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7p, $89+, Info

🎄 Amy Grant & Vince Gill Christmas at the Ryman @ Ryman Auditorium, 7p, Info

💀 Tennessee Dead @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Info

🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik and Camelia Brennan.