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Planning staff proposes two 'middle housing' zoning districts; commission defers for community input
Summary
Staff proposed two new residential zoning districts (Residential Neighborhood — RN — and Residential Limited — RL) intended to enable 'middle housing' types; the commission approved the concept and deferred two meetings while staff continues outreach and prepares mapping guidance.
Planning staff presented a package to create two new form‑based zoning districts intended to make “middle housing” — such as duplexes, triplexes, cottage courts and courtyard flats — a clearer, code‑based option. The commission voted to defer the item for two meetings to allow additional review and public engagement.
Greg Claxton of the Planning Department said the proposal comes from the Metro Council’s housing and infrastructure study (Resolution RS 20 24288) and from recommendations in the Nashville Next plan. Claxton said the proposal would add Residential Neighborhood (RN) and Residential Limited (RL) districts to Title 17 and include building-type standards, frontage types and lot/building placement rules to provide certainty for neighbors and builders. He said RN is intended for house‑scaled building forms with flexible unit arrangements; RL would allow slightly larger multiplex and courtyard building types and would include an optional attainable-housing incentive.
Claxton said the districts are draft code tools and would not automatically change its current zoning: any property would need a rezoning to adopt RN or RL. He described RN and RL variants (suburban, urban and center) tailored to context and said the department has conducted multiple rounds of outreach, workshops and office hours; an online survey remained open through the week.
Commissioners voiced broad support for the concept and thanked staff for outreach. Commissioner Smith praised the outreach and the intent to address housing supply, while Commissioner Leslie asked whether tiny homes or manufactured housing are enabled; staff said tiny homes could fit into the house‑court option and that manufactured housing is addressed by state law and treated as single‑family housing in many cases.
Staff recommended approval of the text and requested a two‑meeting deferral to Sept. 25 to meet the commission’s rules so staff can finalize language and follow‑up materials; the commission approved the two‑meeting deferral.
Next steps: staff will refine building‑type standards, finalize frontages and prepare an infrastructure assessment that will inform future rezoning mapping work; the department plans to revisit the districts in two years to evaluate outcomes and make adjustments if needed.
