Metro Planning Approves Cane Ridge Road Substitute After RM20 Filing (2026Z-076PR-001)

The Metro Planning Commission voted 7-0 on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, to “approve a substitute” on case 2026Z-076PR-001, a 3.9-acre parcel on Cane Ridge Road (unnumbered) about 776 feet southeast of Preston Road. The bill, BL2026-1552, was requested by Councilmember Joy Styles for owners David M. and Willie May Flowers, and it was filed to rezone the land from AR2a to RM20. The staff report recommended a substitute instead: RM9-NS.

That gap is the story. On acreage alone, staff says RM20 would permit a maximum of 78 units. RM9-NS would permit a maximum of 35. Southeast Nashville homeowners near Cane Ridge Road should know which number is actually moving forward.

Two documents, two zoning labels

The Sept. 24 action agenda describes item 15 as a request to rezone from AR2a to RM20 and records the commission’s action as “Approve a substitute. (7-0)” without naming the substitute district on that page.

The staff report explains the difference. It says the bill was filed as a request to rezone to RM20, but after further discussion with the applicant and sponsor, the request was modified to RM9-NS, and staff’s recommendation is approval of a substitute to RM9-NS. The report’s applicant-request line also reads “Zone change from AR2a to RM9-NS.”

Read together, the filed bill says RM20, the staff report says RM9-NS, and the commission approved a substitute. Anyone quoting this case to a buyer should cite both documents rather than collapsing them into one label.

What each zoning district allows

According to the staff report, AR2a (Agricultural/Residential) requires a minimum lot size of two acres and allows single-family, two-family, and mobile homes at one dwelling unit per two acres. Staff says AR2a would permit a maximum of one duplex lot here.

RM20 is intended for single-family, duplex, and multi-family dwellings at 20 units per acre. RM9-NS, Multi-family Residential with No Short Term Rental, is intended for the same housing types at nine units per acre. The “NS” matters for investors: it rules out short-term rentals.

Cane Ridge Road case at a glance

Why staff supported the substitute

The staff report places the site in T3 Suburban Neighborhood Evolving policy, which aims for more housing choices and moderate-density patterns. Staff points to the SP to the north, 2015SP-005-022, which permits 300 multi-family units, and says RM9-NS provides a smooth transition in density from those 300 units.

Part of the parcel also carries Conservation policy. Staff writes that a stream cuts through the front of the site, along with some minor slopes, and that the CO policy is intended to preserve those features. There are sidewalks about 250 feet north of the site but none on the frontage, and the site is about 0.31 miles south of a Choose How You Move corridor. Cane Ridge Road is classified as an Arterial-Boulevard.

Traffic and schools

Staff estimates the move from AR2a to RM9-NS would add 148 daily weekday trips, including 5 AM peak-hour trips and 13 PM peak-hour trips. The Metro Schools section projects 10 additional students, assigned to A. Z. Kelley Elementary, Thurgood Marshall Middle, and Cane Ridge High.

The report lists A. Z. Kelley Elementary as exceedingly over capacity, Thurgood Marshall Middle as exceedingly under capacity, and Cane Ridge High as at capacity, based on the 2025-2026 MNPS enrollment and utilization report. Families comparing homes in this attendance zone will ask about that elementary line.

What it means for nearby homeowners

For a seller near Cane Ridge Road, the practical difference between 78 and 35 possible units is real. A smaller ceiling means fewer new households, fewer trips, and a gentler step down from the 300-unit SP to the north. It also means fewer new rentals competing with resale homes, and the NS tag means none of them can be short-term rentals.

Do not overstate it, though. “Based on acreage alone” is a ceiling, not a site plan. Stream buffers and slopes can lower the real count. And the zoning still needs Metro Council action on BL2026-1552 before anything changes on the ground.

The same Sept. 24 meeting moved several smaller infill cases, including Metro Approves 306 Oriel Avenue RS5-to-R6-A (2026Z-070) and Metro Approves 2403 14th Ave North SP for Two Detached Units. Larger suburban plans, like Metro Planning OKs Elam Station SP: 110 Multifamily, 77 Lots, show how quickly Southeast and South Nashville land is being re-mapped for housing.

A quick checklist for Cane Ridge-area sellers

• Name the right district. If a buyer asks what is coming on Cane Ridge Road, say the filed bill was RM20 and the staff substitute is RM9-NS, then point to the Council outcome once it is posted.
• Use the ceiling carefully. Thirty-five units is a maximum on acreage alone. The stream and slopes noted in the staff report may lower the real number.
• Know the school line. Families will ask about the elementary capacity note. Quote it as the staff report states it, with the 2025-2026 report year.
• Separate it from the 300-unit SP. The SP to the north is a different, earlier approval. Do not merge the two counts when describing traffic or density.
• Short-term rental buyers. The NS suffix means no short-term rentals under the substitute district. That narrows the investor pool for the new units, not for existing homes nearby.

Nashville dates to watch

• Sept. 24, 2026, 4:00 p.m. — Metro Planning Commission, Howard Office Building, Sonny West Conference Center: 2026Z-076PR-001, approve a substitute (7-0).
• Oct. 22, 2026 — Next Metro Planning Commission meeting, where two Sept. 24 items (2026CP-010-001 and 2026S-138-001) were deferred.
• Metro Council — BL2026-1552 still needs Council action; check the Council agenda before telling a buyer the zoning has changed.

Weighing a move in Southeast Nashville? Get a free home valuation grounded in nearby closed sales, or request a cash offer if you want a firm number before the next rezoning headline.

What is Metro case 2026Z-076PR-001?

It is a rezoning of a 3.9-acre vacant parcel on Cane Ridge Road (unnumbered), about 776 feet southeast of Preston Road, requested by Councilmember Joy Styles as bill BL2026-1552.

Was the Cane Ridge Road request RM20 or RM9-NS?

The action agenda describes the filed request as AR2a to RM20. The staff report says the request was modified to RM9-NS and recommends a substitute to RM9-NS. The commission voted to approve a substitute.

How many units could be built?

Based on acreage alone, the staff report says RM20 would permit a maximum of 78 units and RM9-NS a maximum of 35 units. AR2a would permit a maximum of one duplex lot.

How did the Planning Commission vote?

The Sept. 24, 2026, action agenda records “Approve a substitute. (7-0)” for item 15.

Which schools serve the site?

The staff report lists A. Z. Kelley Elementary, Thurgood Marshall Middle, and Cane Ridge High, and projects 10 additional students under RM9-NS.

Source links

• Metro Planning Commission Action Agenda — Sept. 24, 2026
• Metro Planning Commission Staff Report — Sept. 24, 2026 (Item 15, 2026Z-076PR-001)

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Related local news:

• Metro Approves 306 Oriel Avenue RS5-to-R6-A (2026Z-070)
• Metro Approves 2403 14th Ave North SP for Two Detached Units
• Metro Planning OKs Elam Station SP: 110 Multifamily, 77 Lots
• Metro Lists Courtyards at Battle Grove SP for 112 Lots

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