Preamble: Zoning Wars

Good afternoon, everyone. Sparks will fly at tonight's council meeting as a set of zoning bills come up for public hearing... Botched rehousing endeavor you didn’t know you’re paying for... And CM Rollin Horton in trouble?

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🗺️ Public Hearing on Metro Zoning Changes Tonight, the council will hold public hearings for a slew of proposed zoning bills on second reading. During the final community presentation last week, Nashvillians questioned whether the changes actually benefit residents and those seeking home ownership in Davidson County.

Over the last two weeks, community meeting attendees were given an overview of the four pieces of legislation by the Nashville Planning Department. The bills include:

The addition of two zoning districts: Residential Neighborhood (RN) and Residential Limited (RL)
Legislation that simplifies the rules for building duplexes and detached accessory dwelling units (DADUs)
The creation of a Voluntary Attainable Housing Incentive Program.

“A [Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit], by definition, is going to increase the value of the property making it less likely for people to be able to buy it,” said a District 11 resident during last Thursday's meeting. He explained that mortgage companies won’t credit the potential income of renting out the extra detached dwelling until it’s occupied, so the benefit of that income doesn’t help with affordability when initially pursuing the purchase of a home.

“My taxes went up $250 a month,” he continued. “I went from less than $3,000 to $6,200 a year. If you want to make things more affordable, let's look at that.”

Hundreds of people have turned up to community meetings over the last two weeks, and high attendance is expected during tonight’s meeting. Citizens are allowed two minutes to speak in favor or in opposition of BL2025-1005, 1006, and/or 1007 during separate public hearings.

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

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Join us for a classed-up, cowboy-formal type thing with an open bar, music, and the opportunity to meet some of the most talented and influential people in Nashville. Use the discount code PAMPHLETEER to get 25% off your ticket. (Buy Tickets)

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🏚️ Botched Rehousing Endeavor You Paid For Over the last year, Metro’s Office of Homeless Services quietly launched a “Non-Traditional Rapid Rehousing” strategy under Director April Calvin.

According to the Scene, it operated “outside agreed-upon protocols between Metro and other service providers” and included “eight families lured by the promise of Section 8 vouchers who were then shuffled between private landlords for months.”

Though the Scene’s investigation revealed egregious pitfalls in the implementation of the strategy, Mayor Freddie O’Connell included an additional $2.4 million in his budget to expand the program.

Former Metro employee and local watchdog who brought the story to the Scene, Mike Lacy, did some digging of his own and uncovered that Nashville's Homeless Services paid the affordable housing provider, 97 Wallace Studios, over $90,000 without proper contract agreements on file for certain transactions.

According to his findings, it appears some residents who were allegedly placed in the housing with Metro’s support were evicted. “What I’ve realized is that this is, in Freddie O’Connell’s Nashville, what can be expected,” wrote Lacy. “This is the new normal.”

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🗣️ Horton Faces Ethics Complaint Yesterday, residents of District 20 announced their plan to file a formal ethics complaint against Councilmember Rollin Horton. Last month, a group called Voices of District 20 filed a petition to recall Horton following the passage of a bill that upzoned the Nations.

According to the ethics complaint, the group encountered harassment and intimidation while procuring signatures to oust the council member. [FULL DISCLOSURE: Pamphleteer publisher Davis Hunt is a volunteer involved with the group’s efforts.]

According to Monday’s media alert, the complaint will outline multiple claims of intimidation, “including cyber harassment, doxxing, misuse of police resources, and interference with recall volunteers — that appear to violate Tennessee law and the Metro Ethics Code.”

During community presentations on the new zoning proposals that encourage density, Horton’s name came up on multiple occasions. Though a number of council members have reassured their constituents that, if passed, they will not pursue any zoning changes without the support of the community, residents fear that what happened in Horton’s District will happen in their neighborhood.

Two weeks ago, a resident of the Nations pointed out that twenty-seven council members supported Horton’s bill to upzone part of his district despite a petition with 1,000 signatures opposing the change: “How can we trust you?”

HEADLINES

🏘️ More than 14,629 Davidson County property owners have appealed their new assessments, which were calculated using pandemic-era values amid Nashville’s rapid post-2020 growth. The spike has especially alarmed local businesses. The state comptroller is now reviewing the valuations at the request of the House Speaker.
💸 State agencies in Tennessee have been instructed to include a 1 % spending reduction in their budget plans ahead of presentations to Bill Lee—a modest ask compared to larger cuts of past years, according to Senate Finance Chair Bo Watson.