Planning staff: Nashville faces shortfall of 20,000–40,000 homes; staff outlines zoning, building-code and infrastructure steps

Nashville Planning on Monday presented preliminary findings from its Housing and Infrastructure Study and told the City Council planning committee that the county’s current zoning map and infrastructure funding tools are unlikely to accommodate projected housing demand over the next 10 years.

Greg Claxton with Nashville Planning summarized the study’s charge and preliminary conclusions, saying the study responds to a council referral (RS 20 24) and seeks to answer whether current regulations and code provisions reduce housing supply, affordability and equity; what it costs to deliver housing that meets the city’s needs; whether existing infrastructure can support anticipated growth; and whether Metro needs additional funding to deliver planned infrastructure. “We think we are probably gonna have an anticipated build out of 70,000 units under this map, and so we anticipate a shortfall of 20 to 40,000 units,” Claxton said.

The findings matter because, staff said, Nashville has a large gap between projected housing demand (which the presentation listed at 90,000–110,000 units over 10 years) and what the current zoning map is likely to permit. That gap, staff said, is compounded by recent cost increases in construction, high interest rates and a long-term shift in the local economy toward higher-wage sectors that has driven housing costs higher.

Clerk and Context: Claxton framed the study around Nashville Next—the county comprehensive plan—and the November transit referendum, “Choose How You Move,” saying those documents guide where the city intends to accommodate growth. He noted the…