The Metropolitan Council on Dec. 4 approved BL1005, creating two new residential zoning districts intended to expand "missing middle" housing options in Nashville. The ordinance — adopted on third reading after a substitute and several amendments — passed 28-10 on a roll-call vote.

Sponsor Councilmember Mary Gamble said the districts are a "first step" to address the city's housing shortage by establishing building standards that allow duplexes, triplexes and other small-unit types while setting form and design expectations. Gamble told colleagues the substitute and amendments are responses to months of community engagement and seek to provide clarity for the planning commission and neighbors.

Opponents pressed for more time for planning and community outreach, arguing the city lacked a fully updated Community Character Manual and a completed housing-and-infrastructure study. Councilmember Craig Eslick urged caution, saying: "A tool can build, but it can also break," and warned that upzoning without infrastructure investments can strain neighborhoods.

The council adopted an amendment that delays the effective application of the new districts until April 1, 2026 to allow Planning staff time to update the Community Character Manual and related mapping. Planning staff told the council they already maintain countywide land-use policy layers and will translate the RN/RL districts into guidance for commission review, but they described April as a tight yet feasible timeline.

The floor debate included multiple amendments that passed before the final vote; those amendments addressed implementation timing, reporting, and a requirement for periodic reviews. A separate nonbinding resolution asking Metro Planning to publish a countywide map showing where the new districts would be appropriate also passed earlier in the meeting.

What happens next: With BL1005 adopted, applicants and district council members will be able to use RN and RL as zoning options, subject to the April 1 effective timing and any related design standards adopted in the Community Character Manual update. Planning staff will begin translating the ordinance provisions into maps and guidance ahead of the stated effective date.