The Metro Nashville Planning Commission on Jan. 8 deferred two proposed Commercial Compatibility Overlays (CCO) that would limit certain commercial uses and set operating standards along parts of Buchanan Street.

Planning staff told the commission the CCO is a newly created zoning tool intended to reduce conflicts where commercial corridors abut single‑family homes by prohibiting or restricting higher‑impact uses and establishing operational standards. Jeremiah Komi of Metro Planning said staff’s substitute ordinance removes small residentially zoned portions of some parcels and that the resulting proposed overlays total roughly 15.6 acres for one segment and 4.17 acres for the other.

Councilman Brandon Taylor, who is the sponsor, told the commission the language is intended to address residents’ quality‑of‑life complaints about noise, on‑street partying, automobile servicing and certain commercial uses. “There’s not a curfew on the street,” Taylor said in his closing remarks, adding the proposal focuses on specific uses and distances and that existing businesses could remain but future entitlements would be guided by the new rules.

The public hearing drew a large and emotional turnout. Supporters — including residents who live directly behind business fronts — urged the commission to limit uses they called nuisances. “We want that progress to continue by limiting the types of the business that are allowed in the future and allowing the ones we have to thrive and operate in peace with our community,” said Symone Boyd, a Buchanan resident who described investments in street infrastructure and trash pickup.

Business owners, entertainers and many who work on Buchanan argued the overlay would disproportionately harm small, predominantly Black‑owned businesses, entertainment venues and student employment opportunities at Tennessee State University. “An 11 p.m. curfew would eliminate late night shows, which are standard in comedy and often the most profitable time,” one performer told the commission, warning that limiting hours and uses risks erasing a cultural corridor. Several business owners described narrow margins and said the measure could kill nascent enterprises.

Commissioners pressed staff and the sponsor for clarifications about exactly how the overlay would be applied and whether the ordinance — created in 2025 and never used before — could be extended to other commercial corridors such as 12th South or East Nashville. Planning counsel noted that if the planning commission recommends disapproval, council would need a two‑thirds vote to adopt the overlay; if the commission defers, council can still advance the bill on its schedule unless the sponsor requests a council deferral. Taylor said he would defer the measure at council to allow additional community engagement.

After discussion the commission voted to defer both items for two meetings and asked staff to return with clarifications on how the overlay would apply countywide, how it interacts with existing noise and enforcement mechanisms, and examples from peer cities. The commission also recommended additional community engagement prior to council action.

The council’s public hearing and final vote remain separate; the commission’s deferral preserves a formal record of commissioners’ concerns and a list of questions staff pledged to answer when the overlay returns to the commission.