Gallatin

Gallatin Weighs a Six-Month Pause on New Apartments and Data Centers as 237-Home Sunset Farms Plan Advances

The Gallatin City Council held public hearings Oct. 20 on two proposed six-month moratoriums, one on new apartment applications and one on new data center applications. The same agenda had a first reading for Sunset Farms, a 60.46-acre rezoning south of West Albert Gallatin Avenue planned for 237 ho

Tracy King

22 Oct 2026 • 5 min read

Gallatin is debating how fast new apartments and subdivisions should come. Illustrative photo.

Gallatin may stop taking new apartment applications for six months. The Gallatin City Council held a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 20, on Ordinance O26Ø9-66, which would pause the acceptance and processing of new apartment development applications citywide. A second hearing on the same agenda covered Ordinance O26Ø9-67, a six-month moratorium on new data center applications.

Both ordinances passed first reading on Sept. 15, according to the council packet. The city’s posted documents did not yet show the outcome of the Oct. 20 votes. The same agenda also put a large new subdivision plan up for first reading: Sunset Farms, 60.46 acres south of West Albert Gallatin Avenue and west of Scott Drive, with 237 planned homes.

The apartment moratorium

The ordinance’s preamble says the council “is concerned that growth within the City and in surrounding areas has come faster than the City’s ability to accommodate it with appropriate roadway network upgrades, widening of streets, important intersection improvements.” It adds that apartment development may strain public infrastructure, services and the character of existing neighborhoods.

How long would it last?

The documents disagree on the length. The ordinance title and its Section 1 say six months. One WHEREAS clause, and the staff summary from the Sept. 8 Council Committee, describe a 12-month moratorium. The operative section enacts a 6-month pause.

What counts as an apartment

The ordinance defines an apartment as a unit in a building with three or more dwelling units. It excludes townhouses, which the city treats as single-family attached homes. Independent living, age-restricted apartments and stacked flats are included.

Who is exempt

Projects that already have entitlements when the moratorium takes effect are exempt. That covers anything with an approved preliminary or final master development plan, site plan or building permit, as long as the approval has not expired. Amendments to existing approvals are also exempt if they do not add apartment units.

Planners recommended against it

On Aug. 24, the Gallatin Municipal Planning Commission voted 7-0 on GMPC Resolution 2026-100 to recommend denial of the apartment moratorium. The Planning Department also recommends denial.

The data center moratorium

The data center pause got the opposite recommendation. The Planning Commission voted 5-2 on Aug. 24, under GMPC Resolution 2026-113, to recommend approval, and the Planning Department agreed.

The ordinance notes that Gallatin’s new Zoning Ordinance, adopted Sept. 1, 2026, gives “data center” a definition and some minimal rules, including Planning Commission approval. The city says it needs time to study more regulation. Approved plans and existing data centers that do not add square footage are exempt. So are telecommunications and emergency communications facilities.

Sunset Farms: 237 homes on 60 acres

Ordinance O261Ø-75 would rezone 3.49 acres to Planned General Commercial and 56.97 acres to R-6 PRD High Density Planned Residential, with a Preliminary Master Development Plan for Sunset Farms. The Planning Commission recommended approval 4-0 on Sept. 28 under GMPC Resolution 2026-115.

Sunset Farms plan item	Figure
Total area	60.46 acres (3.49 commercial, 56.97 residential)
Single-family detached lots	60
Townhomes	165
Habitat for Humanity homes	12
Total proposed	237 units/lots
Proposed density	3.76 units per acre
Maximum density shown on plan	830 units/lots
Planning Commission vote	4-0 to recommend approval, Sept. 28

The city’s conditions include an updated density calculation that removes half of the floodplain area and states the district maximum of 18.0 units per acre. They also require any environmental concerns about the overall Sunset Farms development to be resolved before permits are issued.

There is also a zoning detail tied to the city’s new code. Once the ordinance is adopted, the Sunset Farms property would be converted from PGC and R-6 PRD to the new Existing Plan District (EPD) zoning, under the conversion table in Ordinance O2607-56. That ordinance adopted Gallatin’s new zoning scheme for applications that were submitted and accepted before the new code took effect. The 15-sheet master plan was prepared by 615 Design Group of Gallatin and dated Sept. 10, 2026.

Under the city’s own definition, townhouses are not “apartments.” That means the 165 Sunset Farms townhomes would not be covered by the apartment moratorium even if it passes.

Why the city wants a data center pause

The ordinance says the city wants to avoid negative impacts that data centers could have on residents’ health, safety and welfare. It says a moratorium would give the city time to properly evaluate the potential effects and create a suitable set of regulations.

Also on the Oct. 20 agenda

A Preliminary Master Development Plan for Ocana Center, 4.91 acres zoned Planned General Commercial near Long Hollow Pike. The driveway on Long Hollow Pike is subject to TDOT approval.
A dangerous building complaint and show-cause notice for 979 Aqua Drive.

Gallatin dates to know

Aug. 24, 2026 — Planning Commission recommends denial of the apartment moratorium (7-0) and approval of the data center moratorium (5-2).
Sept. 1, 2026 — New Gallatin Zoning Ordinance adopted.
Sept. 15, 2026 — Both moratoriums pass first reading.
Sept. 28, 2026 — Planning Commission recommends Sunset Farms 4-0.
Oct. 20, 2026, 6 p.m. — City Council public hearings on both moratoriums; Sunset Farms first reading.

What it means for Gallatin homeowners

Moratoriums like these are about the pace of growth. A pause on new apartment applications does not stop projects that are already approved, and it does not touch single-family homes or townhomes. It does show that the council is focused on traffic and roads. Sumner County neighbors are watching, and Blount County has been debating a similar pause, covered in Blount County Weighs 12-Month Pause on 10-Lot Subdivisions and Apartments, Plus an AI Data-Center Moratorium.

For a seller, the bigger local story may be supply. A 237-home plan with 165 townhomes would add new-construction competition in western Gallatin over the next few years. If you own nearby and have been thinking about selling, that is worth factoring into your timing.

New to the area or comparing towns? Start with Living in Gallatin TN: 2026 Neighborhood & Real Estate Guide. For Nashville’s own big projects this week, see Metro Planners Weigh 125 More Parkhaven Lots on the Cumberland and 33 Townhomes on Old Franklin Road Oct. 22.

Wondering what your Gallatin home would sell for today? Get a free home valuation, or request a cash offer to sell as-is on your schedule.

Is Gallatin banning new apartments?

Not permanently. Ordinance O26Ø9-66 would enact a six-month moratorium on accepting and processing new apartment applications. Projects that already have approved plans or permits are exempt.

Do townhomes count as apartments under the Gallatin moratorium?

No. The ordinance defines an apartment as a unit in a building with three or more dwelling units, excluding townhouses, which the city considers single-family attached units.

Why is Gallatin considering a data center moratorium?

The new Zoning Ordinance adopted Sept. 1, 2026 has only minimal data center rules. The city says it needs time to study the impacts and write suitable regulations.

What is Sunset Farms in Gallatin?

It is a proposed 60.46-acre development south of West Albert Gallatin Avenue and west of Scott Drive, with 60 single-family lots, 165 townhomes and 12 Habitat for Humanity homes, 237 in total.