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Planning Commission delays vote on home‑occupation code updates tied to recent court ruling
Summary
Commissioners heard a draft update to home‑occupation rules—removing some hour/floor restrictions, adding bicycle/non‑powered vehicle repair as a permitted home business and extending permit duration—but deferred the item to April 23 to clarify language and limits (motorized vs non‑motorized).
Planning staff presented proposed revisions to the home‑occupation section of Title 17 intended to respond to a recent Tennessee Court of Appeals decision and to modernize the code. Key proposed changes include removal of floor limitations, limiting customer visits to a maximum of 12 per day, permitting repair of non‑powered equipment and non‑motorized vehicles (such as bicycles), clarifying permit revocation standards, and extending permit duration from one to three years.
Staff and Council Member Parker explained the change stems in part from a court ruling (Shaw v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County) that required the city to align home‑occupation treatment with other uses and ensure a rational basis for distinctions. Commissioners asked whether the new language would permit auto repair; staff clarified the draft intends only to allow non‑motorized vehicle repairs (bicycles, scooters, go‑karts) and specifically prohibits operating an auto repair business as a home occupation.
Commissioners sought clearer wording on definitions ("non‑powered vehicles" vs. "bicycles") and other ambiguities. Commissioner Deng moved to defer the item to April 23 so staff and the council member can clarify definitions and return with a revised draft; the commission approved the deferral.
