Planning commission adopts new RN and RL zoning code sections after heated public hearing

The Metro Nashville Planning Commission on Oct. 9 approved substitute language to add two new zoning districts — Residential Neighborhood (RN) and Residential Limited (RL) — to the city’s zoning code, a move staff said creates options for compatible “middle housing” but does not automatically change any property’s entitlements.

Grama Claxton, a planner with the Metro Nashville planning department, told commissioners the code change “would not automatically apply these districts to any properties” and that properties would still need to go through a full rezoning process, including notice and two public hearings, before entitlements change.

The RN and RL districts are intended to accommodate building types such as townhomes, cottage courts, triplexes and other small‑scale multifamily forms with frontage and design standards to guide how those buildings relate to…