You’re not imagining it - over the past decade, housing has become increasingly unaffordable and harder to find for most Nashvillians.
Source: Nashville Planning Department Dashboard
The cost to own a home in Nashville today is almost 4 times what it was in 2012, making owning difficult for middle income earners in Nashville.
Source: Nashville Planning Department Dashboard
The cost to rent a home in Nashville today is almost 2 times what it was in 2012, making renting also increasingly unaffordable for middle income earners in Nashville.
Along with rising costs, we have less housing choices. Many of us have struggled to find housing that we can afford and that works for where we are in life.
We can make it easier to find housing Nashvillians can afford, regardless of age or stage.
For decades, because of zoning and administrative complexities, Nashville has mostly built two types of homes - apartments in apartment complexes and single family homes.
This means that people in all phases of life have had to choose - do you want to live in an apartment complex or a neighborhood.
We’re missing a middle type of housing. We’re missing the type of housing that allows adults without kids to live in a neighborhood, that allows our seniors to age in their neighborhoods, and that allows middle income earners to rent space to help pay for their home.
Missing middle housing is exactly as it sounds: It is the unmet need for housing experienced by middle income earners.
There is a good chance you’re a middle income earner - most of us are. There is also a good chance that you will need and want different housing depending on the phase of your life - most of us do. Right now, most of us have a choice to either spend more than we can afford or buy more house than we want so we can live in a neighborhood with community and scale - the average home for sale is $584,500* -, or to live in an apartment complex that lacks a neighborhood feel.
Nashvillians deserve a better.
We deserve housing we can afford in the communities we love.
That’s where NEST comes in - NEST is a set of codes and zoning updates that work together to make sure that Nashville has the Essential Structures we need to live Together as a community.
Learn More About Missing Middle Housing in Nashville
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Proposed Legislative Text
As available, proposed legislation will be available at this link.
NEST is a collaborative project, so also check out Get Involved to see how it is evolving during public feedback.
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Learn More & Provide Feedback
NEST is a collaborative legislative process.
Click here to learn about opportunities to engage in the conversation around NEST.