A new ordinance has been proposed in Mt. Juliet that would limit the people who can live in one house.
The call for action came after complaints from homeowners about rental properties. That's when a city commissioner started looking for an answer.
So far, Jordan Oakley, who drives a tow truck, didn't like what he heard. NewsChannel 5 ran into him at his home where he was looking over his truck. He's always ready for the next call, but lately he said business has been down.
To save money Oakley, his wife and four children have moved in with her parents in Mt. Juliet.
Oakley said, "The cost of living around here gets pretty high. That's why me and my wife are trying to do right now. We're trying to find some where where it's cheaper to live and save up some money to get our own place so."
There were eight people living together in the house. Several cars were parked in the driveway.
Oakley said, "We don't really have the choice with the vehicles we have. We have to park a few in the grass, and I don't see the problem with parking in the grass. It's my opinion. If it's your yard I've always been one to think you can do what you feel like in your yard."
Mt. Juliet City Commissioner Brian Abston has a different opinion.
Abston said, "That's an unsightly thing for a neighborhood. It creates a safety issue like blocking sidewalks. Kids dart out and you can't see them until the last minute."
The South Mt. Juliet commissioner has begun working on new ordinances to stop lawn parking in neighborhoods and limit the number of non-related families who can live together in one house.
Abston said too many people in one house affects traffic, parking and fire safety. Abston said, "You have three families living in a house and something happens and there's a fire and that creates problems there."
That plan wouldn't affect Oakley since everyone in his house is related, but it would affect some of his friends.
Oakley said, "It's aggravating. I mean if they did that it just limits people, because I know I've got buddies that live with people that they're not related. I mean they're trying to do it to better themselves, and that's pretty much the only way you can go."
Abston was still working on specific numbers for his ordinance.
A spokesman in the Metro Codes Department said no more than three unrelated adults can live together in the same single family dwelling in Nashville. And each person should have at least 100 square feet of living space.
