There are so many cranes in downtown Nashville, people are literally making T-shirts about it. But what about your neighborhood? There’s a good chance it’s changing before your eyes as well. Maybe it’s just a teardown or two, replaced by bigger home, but often it’s two, three or more new structures where once there was one.

Leaving you wondering, can they do that?

Of course, that depends on zoning. While zoning can be complicated, Metro Nashville does make tools and information available for you to do a little research right from your computer.

This link provides a list of all the zoning codes – residential, commercial, etc. – with quick descriptions of what each allows. Many of the codes refer to total square feet of the lot, for reference, an acre is 43,560. You can get a downloadable version here.

This link takes you to an interactive map to see the current zoning for each property in Metro Nashville. You can search by address, owner, parcel number or other criteria. The map also provides information about properties, including zoning and permit history.

One of the most talked about items in the zoning codes is the difference between residential designation of “R” vs. “RS.” The R designations allow for single family or duplexes on a lot. For a long time, Nashville required duplexes to be connected by at least 8 feet of the structure. However, in 2008, Metro Council eliminated that requirement for lots outside the Urban Zoning Overlay, helping usher the boom of “two replacing one” in neighborhoods like Green Hills. Detached duplexes are now allowed throughout the county.

Knowing the zoning in your area can be important, not only because of the increase in adding two homes to “R” zoned lots, but also because more density may occur based on the way a lot has been traditionally developed.

Three new homes go up on Woodmont Blvd. between Grayswood and Ruland

A good example is on Woodmont between Grayswood and Ruland. Currently, three homes are going up where there used to be one – known to some as the Witherspoon house. Likely there will be three more added to the block, for a total of six. While there were formerly only two homes on this block, it is actually zoned as R10 and contains six different parcels, which means the increased density was allowed, it just hadn’t been developed that way until now.

Nashville also creates “Overlays” for specific areas of the city. An Urban Design Overlay requires specific design standards for development in a designated area, generally to protect the pre-existing character of the area or to create a character that would not otherwise be ensured by the development standards in the base zoning district. UDOs allow for development standards above and beyond those in the base zoning. Find details about all current UDOs here.

Contextual Overlays were established in August 2014 to apply to residential neighborhoods. They apply design standards necessary to maintain and reinforce established form or character of residential development in a particular area. A Contextual Overlay must apply throughout the residential portion of a complete block face, and cannot be applied in an adopted historic overlay district. A Contextual Overlay does not affect the base zoning of a property. Find details about current COs here.

Since there seems to be no decline in Nashville’s unprecedented growth, how we manage our neighborhoods will continue to be a hot topic. In future posts, we’ll look at the process for changing zoning, including how the public can be sure their voices are heard.