How Multifamily Housing Gets Approved in Nashville

Metro Nashville zones land under Title 17 of the Metropolitan Code. A base district permits multifamily use directly where the zoning allows it; where it does not, an applicant petitions for a Specific Plan (SP) District, Metro's site-specific rezoning tool. Tennessee's 2024 state law lets Nashville offer incentives for attainable housing without the mandate state law otherwise bars.

The Specific Plan rezoning route

An SP District (Metro Code 17.40) lets an applicant set alternative uses and development standards for a property through a site-specific plan, in place of the base zoning. The Planning Commission recommends; Metro Council decides by ordinance. Metro Code 17.40.106.1 requires periodic review of an approved SP every four years.

Tennessee's limit on inclusionary rules

Tenn. Code Ann. 66-35-102 bars a local government from regulating the rent charged on private residential property, a bar the General Assembly applied to a mandatory inclusionary zoning ordinance in 2018. Public Chapter 1051 (2024), signed 11 June 2024 and effective 1 July 2024, added Tenn. Code Ann. 13-4-401 to 13-4-403 for a municipality such as Metro Nashville (and the parallel 13-3-601 to 13-3-603 for a county), letting it adopt a voluntary attainable housing incentive program by ordinance; a property owner files a pre-application conference with planning staff before the planning commission approves participation, and no owner can be compelled to take part.

Questions

Can Nashville require a multifamily project to include affordable units?

No. Tenn. Code Ann. 66-35-102 bars a mandatory set-aside; since 1 July 2024 Metro may instead offer a voluntary attainable housing incentive program under Tenn. Code Ann. 13-4-401.

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