Mar 7, 2024 - News

Housing plan pushback leads to new direction

Nate Rau

Illustration of Nashville City Hall with lines radiating from it. — Photo illustration: Allie Carl/Axios. Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Metro Councilmember Quin Evan Segall's push to loosen zoning laws to allow for more middle class housing in Nashville has received tremendous criticism in recent weeks from neighborhood groups.

Catch up quick: Segall already deferred the batch of legislation she introduced in January. A centerpiece of her proposal would allow up to four units on a residential lot for properties located in dense urban areas.

Segall announced Wednesday she is withdrawing the more controversial bills that would allow for more density.

Friction point: As expected, neighborhood groups leery of more density have not responded favorably to the idea. There have been some fiery community meetings in recent weeks.

What's next: A group of council members led by Jennifer Gamble filed a proposal to ask key city agencies to study how to allow more density as well as "affordable housing." Gamble says her proposal was in the works before Segall's bills.

Council will consider Gamble's proposal at its meeting Thursday night.
Gamble says the council should wait for the study's results so it can make "informed decisions about infrastructure, costs for building [middle-class] housing and doing it in a way that doesn't negatively impact minority communities."

The bottom line: Segall said she expected her bills wouldn't return for a vote until after the study is completed in 2025. She added she was "thankful" for Gamble's proposal.

Add Axios on Google

Housing plan pushback leads to new direction

More Nashville stories