Nashville

Metro Planning Overrules Staff on Two North Nashville Duplex Rezonings

On Sept. 24, 2026, the Metro Nashville Planning Commission voted 7-0 to approve two small North Nashville rezonings that staff had recommended disapproving: 3907 and 3908 Southview Drive (RS15 to R10) and 1812 and 1814 Haynes Street (RS5 to R8-A).

Tracy King

06 Oct 2026 • 6 min read

Southview Drive and Haynes Street in North Nashville were the subject of two duplex rezonings on Sept. 24, 2026. Illustrative photo.

Twice in one night, the Metro Nashville Planning Commission looked at a staff recommendation to say no to a small duplex rezoning in North Nashville and voted the other way. At its Sept. 24, 2026, meeting, the commission voted 7-0 on case 2026Z-064PR-001, rezoning 3907 and 3908 Southview Drive from RS15 to R10, with the action recorded as disapproval of staff's recommendation and approval of the item. It took the same 7-0 action on case 2026Z-075PR-001, rezoning 1812 and 1814 Haynes Street from RS5 to R8-A.

Both requests are modest: under one acre each, a handful of possible units, no new streets. But together they show how the commission is weighing Nashville's adopted neighborhood policies against requests to add a few more homes on existing lots.

Southview Drive: RS15 to R10

The Southview Drive request covers two parcels totaling 0.88 acres, about 230 feet north of West Hamilton Road in Council District 1. Inheritance Holdings LLC is the applicant, and Stonegate Acquisitions, LLC and Hawkwood Lane, LLC are listed as owners. The staff report says the parcels, 0.59 acres and 0.29 acres on opposite sides of Southview Drive, currently hold single-family homes.

The zoning math is simple. RS15 requires a 15,000-square-foot minimum lot and allows one lot on each side of Southview based on acreage alone. R10 requires a 10,000-square-foot lot and allows single-family homes and duplexes; staff estimates it could allow two duplex lots at 3907 Southview and one at 3908, or up to six units in all, before subdivision rules are applied.

Staff recommended disapproval. The report places the site in a T3 Suburban Neighborhood Maintenance policy area, which supports keeping the existing character of the neighborhood, and notes there are no sidewalks along Southview Drive, Fairview Drive, or Timothy Drive connecting to nearby transit stops. Staff also pointed out that RS15 zoning inside the Urban Services District already permits detached accessory dwelling units by right, which it described as a contextually appropriate way to add modest density.

The report adds history: the properties have been zoned RS15 since 1998 and were zoned R15 in 1974, and a few older two-family homes nearby date from before 1998. The commission approved the R10 request anyway.

Haynes Street: RS5 to R8-A

The Haynes Street request covers two vacant parcels totaling 0.43 acres on the west side of the street, about 345 feet north of Seminary Street in Council District 2, inside the Contextual Design Overlay District. C&H Properties, LLC is the applicant and owner. Staff writes that R8-A could allow up to two duplex lots, for a total of four units.

Staff's case for disapproval leaned on two layers of policy. In 2018, the Haynes Trinity Small Area Plan changed the policy for the area from T4 Urban Neighborhood Evolving to T4 Urban Neighborhood Maintenance, which the report calls a deliberate shift away from higher-intensity redevelopment. Then in 2023, a Contextual Design Overlay was applied to keep new development in line with the neighborhood's massing, orientation, and scale.

The site also has a physical constraint. According to the report, a wet weather conveyance and its buffers run through the middle of the property, which limits the developable area. The commission approved the R8-A request 7-0.

The two cases side by side

Field	3907 & 3908 Southview Dr	1812 & 1814 Haynes St
Case	2026Z-064PR-001 (item 11)	2026Z-075PR-001 (item 14)
Council district	01 (Joy Kimbrough)	02 (Kyonzté Toombs)
Acreage	0.88 acres	0.43 acres
Current zoning	RS15	RS5
Requested zoning	R10 (4.36 units per acre)	R8-A (5.45 units per acre)
Staff estimate	Up to two duplex lots at 3907, one at 3908	Up to two duplex lots, four units
Policy	T3 NM	T4 NM, CO, Contextual Design Overlay
Added daily weekday trips (staff)	50	13
Staff recommendation	Disapprove	Disapprove
MPC action, Sept. 24, 2026	Disapproval of staff’s recommendation and approval (7-0)	Disapproval of staff’s recommendation and approval (7-0)

What it means for North Nashville homeowners

For owners on single-family streets, these votes are a reminder that a staff "disapprove" is a recommendation, not a decision. The Planning Commission can, and here did, reach a different conclusion. Neighbors who care about what gets built next door should read the staff report and show up or comment, whichever way they lean.

For owners thinking about selling, duplex-ready zoning can change who is interested in a lot. A small builder may see room for two or four units where a family buyer sees one house and a yard. That can widen your buyer pool, but it also means pricing should account for what the zoning actually allows today, not what a neighbor's case might suggest.

For buyers, the DADU point in the Southview report is useful on its own. Staff notes that inside the Urban Services District, RS15 allows a detached accessory dwelling unit by right. If you are looking at North Nashville homes with room in the back, that may be a simpler path to a second unit than a rezoning.

The same Sept. 24 agenda produced several other small residential 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.

A checklist for owners on similar streets

Look up your zoning and your policy. The zoning district sets what is allowed today. The community plan policy, such as T3 or T4 Neighborhood Maintenance, is what staff measures a rezoning against.
Check for overlays. A Contextual Design Overlay or a historic overlay can shape what a builder may do even when the base zoning allows more units.
Walk the lot for drainage. On Haynes Street, a wet weather conveyance shaped the staff analysis. Streams, ditches, and buffers can shrink the buildable area on any lot.
Ask about accessory units first. Where a detached accessory dwelling unit is allowed by right, it may be the faster route to a second home on the property.

Schools and traffic in the staff reports

Staff estimated that Southview Drive's R10 zoning would add 50 daily weekday trips and that students would attend Cumberland Elementary, Haynes Middle, and Whites Creek High. For Haynes Street, staff estimated 13 additional daily trips and no additional students, with zoned schools listed as Alex Green Elementary, Haynes Middle, and Whites Creek High.

Nashville dates to watch

Sept. 24, 2026 — Metro Planning Commission votes 7-0 on 2026Z-064PR-001 and 2026Z-075PR-001.
Oct. 22, 2026, 4:00 p.m. — Next listed Metro Planning Commission meeting, Howard Office Building.

Own a home on a North Nashville street where zoning is in play? Get a free home valuation that reflects what your lot can actually support, or request a cash offer if you want a quick, firm number.

What did Metro Planning decide on Southview Drive?

On Sept. 24, 2026, the commission voted 7-0 on 2026Z-064PR-001, recorded as disapproval of staff’s recommendation and approval of RS15 to R10 zoning for 3907 and 3908 Southview Drive (0.88 acres).

What did Metro Planning decide on Haynes Street?

The commission voted 7-0 on 2026Z-075PR-001, recorded as disapproval of staff’s recommendation and approval of RS5 to R8-A zoning for 1812 and 1814 Haynes Street (0.43 acres).

Staff cited T3 Suburban Neighborhood Maintenance policy, the lack of sidewalks to nearby transit stops, and the fact that RS15 inside the Urban Services District already allows detached accessory dwelling units by right.

Staff cited the 2018 change to T4 Neighborhood Maintenance policy, the Contextual Design Overlay applied in 2023, and a wet weather conveyance with buffers running through the middle of the site.

How many homes could the rezonings allow?

Staff estimated up to two duplex lots at 3907 Southview and one at 3908, and up to two duplex lots, or four units, on Haynes Street, before subdivision rules are applied.