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 nearby single‑family homes. Claxton said staff is offering a substitute that removes manor houses from suburban RN1 and clarifies that large multiplex buildings were never recommended for RN.

Hannah Davis of the planning department described the work as part of the city’s Housing and Infrastructure Initiative and Unified Housing Strategy, which the department says projected a 10‑year need of roughly 90,000 housing units. Davis said the code changes implement Action 13 of the unified plan: “to evaluate and adjust zoning and land use policies to unlock development opportunities, expand housing types, and increase housing production.”

Supporters at the public hearing said the new districts fill a gap in the city’s zoning toolbox and could smooth transitions between corridors and adjacent neighborhoods. Doug Sloan, a resident, said the districts “add a tool that I think is going to be used for that very purpose” of transitioning dense corridors down to single‑family areas.

Opponents raised concerns about notice, infrastructure capacity, tree canopy loss and neighborhood character. Several speakers from neighborhood associations asked the planning commission to defer action until the countywide infrastructure assessment is complete. Suzette Crutchfield, speaking for the White Bridge Neighborhood Association, said it would be “shortsighted to pass legislation prior to [the infrastructure study’s] completion.”

Commissioners discussed the mapping and next steps at length. Staff said an infrastructure assessment and final recommendations for mapping were targeted for November and that additional, area‑specific engagement would follow. Claxton told the panel those mapping discussions would consider floodplain, steep slopes and other site constraints and that some areas might be deemed unsuitable for rezoning after that analysis.

After deliberation — with commissioners stressing both the need for additional community outreach and the value of adding more precise design tools to the code — the vice chair moved to approve staff’s substitute recommendation. The motion passed by voice vote; the commission adopted item 12025Z009TX001 as a substitute ordinance. Staff emphasized again that the action adds RN and RL as code options and does not rezone property without a separate application and public process.

The commission directed staff to return with additional materials about how the mapping and community engagement will proceed. The council sponsor told the commission she intends to defer the council public hearing for this package to give more time for the infrastructure assessment and district‑level outreach.