Councilmember Jennifer Gamble told the Industrial Development Board ad hoc committee that a suite of housing bills aims to expand housing types and streamline approvals as part of a longer-term effort to meet the city’s growth needs. "We are projected to need 90,000 units over the next 10 years," Gamble said, linking the bills to the Metro planning department’s unified housing strategy.

Gamble described four pieces of legislation derived from a March 2024 housing and infrastructure study. BL 2025‑1005 would create two new zoning codes — Residential Neighborhood (RN) and Residential Limited (RL) — with standards for cottages, townhomes and quadplexes, she said, noting that without those codes townhome projects often require a site‑specific plan rather than a standard zone. "This provides guidelines and standards for our building types that we need in Nashville," Gamble said.

She said BL 2025‑1006 cleans up duplex rules in two‑family zones and imposes a two‑and‑a‑half‑story height limit outside the Downtown loop to address community concerns about three‑story "skinny" buildings in suburban neighborhoods. For accessory housing, BL 2025‑1007 would expand detached accessory dwelling unit (DADU) allowances inside the Urban Service District so qualifying single‑family and two‑family lots may add a DADU without a zone change; Gamble said size limits and overlays largely remain in place.

Gamble said BL 2025‑1008, on the Metro Council agenda for Jan. 20, would establish a voluntary attainable‑bonus program that allows developers to add limited height in exchange for reserving affordable units. "The goal is to have a set aside of at least 10% of the building total units be income‑qualified at an AMI of 80% or below," she said, adding that the bonus could permit up to two additional stories on multifamily projects and that parking requirements would be waived for those bonus units.

Board members asked technical and implementation questions. One member asked whether the duplex 'cleanup' would cover lots just under 6,000 square feet; Gamble said the changes would reduce setbacks and update standards that were set decades ago. Members also raised financing hurdles: several noted that appraisers and lenders have not fully credited the value of DADUs, making construction loans harder to obtain.

Gamble and staff described implementation timing tied to amendments: start dates for the new zoning districts were pushed to allow planning staff to update guidance manuals; some height restrictions have separate effective dates. Gamble said the DADU expansion should begin when the bill is signed absent a specific delay.

The councilmember emphasized the bills are one element of a broader strategy, and she invited further collaboration with planning staff and the board. Several members asked for follow‑up about application procedures for the attainable bonus and whether the program’s geographic scope might be limited; Gamble said she would review the bill language and consider amendments if needed.

The committee did not take formal action on the bills at the meeting; Gamble was invited to return for future updates. The Metro Council’s calendar places BL 2025‑1008 on the Jan. 20 agenda, according to Gamble.