New housing options may soon be available in North Nashville following a request from a Metro councilmember.
Submitted by District 21 Metro Councilmember Brandon Taylor, the overlay request would cover the Hadley-Washington neighborhood, an area north of Charlotte Avenue inside the interstate loop near Meharry Medical College. Residents with access to alleyways would be allowed to build small apartments, called detached accessory dwelling units (or DADUs), typically at the back of the property, separated from the main homes. These buildings could be used for long-term rentals or as additional residential space for family members. The zoning does not allow for short-term rentals, according to Taylor.
“This will allow for some much-needed density and affordable housing,” says Taylor. “It’s also a lot less disruptive than squeezing two tall-and-skinnies onto one lot, so it relieves some stress on the community.”
Taylor says he has heard positive reactions from members of the Hadley-Washington community who want to build DADUs on their property.
“It allows us to maintain the character of the houses there while adding more housing for people who need it,” Taylor tells the Scene.
Legislation to allow for DADU overlays passed through the Metro Council last year. Typical RS zoning in many residential areas allows only one single-family dwelling per lot, an attempt to combat homes being demolished and replaced by tall-and-skinnies. The ordinance proposed by At-Large Councilmember Burkley Allen opened up DADU overlays as an option to allow for more housing in these typically low-density areas. The legislation also limits the size DADUs can be based on the size of the lot, with most of them not to exceed 700 square feet.
“Housing options in Nashville are so limited right now and mostly so expensive,” Allen says. “[DADUs have] often been been put forward as as a tool to enable someone to stay in a house because then they have an extra source of income, but most importantly, it’s providing new housing options that may be in the realm of affordability for somebody who's just earning an average income in Nashville.”
DADU overlays have been applied to multiple neighborhoods throughout North and East Nashville since the legislation passed last year, including a neighborhood in Taylor’s district just north of Jefferson Street, extending slightly past Buchanan Street.
The DADU overlay request for the Hadley-Washington neighborhood is scheduled to be discussed at the Metro Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 23.
