Housing and Infrastructure Study

What's New with the Housing & Infrastructure (H&I) Study?

Proposed changes to R/RS districts are now available to review.

Check out the draft changes:
- Improve compatibility of infill in R & RS districts
- Expansion of DADUs to Urban Services District (USD)
- Simplifying conditions for duplexes in R districts

Watch an introductory video (link to come)

The proposed changes will be presented to the Metro Planning Commission for a public hearing on September 25.

Introduction to the H&I Study

Nashville has experienced a period of physical transformational change in the last decade. Nashville’s urban core – Downtown, Midtown, former industrial areas, and many neighborhoods close to downtown – has been densifying and even rebuilt in some areas. In some cases – such as the ongoing transition of aging industrial places into vibrant new neighborhoods – this change has been welcomed. In others, it has resulted in larger, more imposing development that for many residents feels physically out of scale with existing neighborhoods.

Like all cities, Nashville has a unique blueprint, and as we look to our future, strategies for investment and growth should respond to the characteristics that make us who we are.

Metro Nashville Planning staff and several other Metro departments, at the request of the Metro Council, looked at Nashville’s residential development and our existing and planned infrastructure capacity to understand if current zoning policies or other barriers harm Metro’s ability to address the city’s housing needs.

In March 2025, Staff released the Housing & Infrastructure Study’s Phase 1: Initial Findings and Preliminary Recommendations Report, which details the findings, data and research related to housing and infrastructure barriers facing Nashville, in addition to preliminary recommendations and next steps. The Housing and Infrastructure Executive Summary provides readers with a condensed overview of the report.

In June 2025, following additional community and stakeholder engagement, Planning Staff released a Phase 2: Recommendations Memo, which outlines potential updates to the text of Metro’s Zoning Code to improve the character of new development to create greater certainty for neighbors and builders and create new districts for smaller scale housing types.

Since getting community direction on the concept of new zoning districts, Metro staff has developed draft standards to regulate the form, height, orientation, and site layout of buildings within the districts. These standards are called “design-based” because they regulate more elements of the design of buildings, sites, and the public realm which creates more predictability for neighbors. From July 31- August 31, Metro Planning is seeking public comment on Draft Standards for New Zoning Districts.

This study was led by Metro Planning in collaboration with Codes, NDOT, Water Services, Historic Commission, and other Metro departments. Metro Nashville has partnered with a consultant team led by Opticos Design and several local subcontractors on several aspects of the project including identifying opportunities for increasing the diversity of housing types to match Nashvillians’ needs and understanding implications for infrastructure.

The ultimate goal of this study is to ensure Metro is helping create a more livable community where all Nashvillians can thrive together.

To see community engagement and view past meetings, click the Community Engagement tab at the top of this page.