NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — As Nashville considers new zoning rules to allow for more housing, some residents and at least one councilmember say the city needs to slow down and fix what's already here.
Councilwoman Tasha Ellis says she's all for growth, but not without stronger infrastructure. It's why she's proposing a bill to collect money from developers and a state transfer tax to help.
For months, residents have expressed concerns about Metro's new rezoning bills. From White Bridge to West Meade, neighbors worry about what high-density development could mean for their communities.
Metro Planning and some councilmembers want to add two new zoning categories. The bills don't rezone property right away, but would give landowners and members more options to request rezoning later.
Ellis says she'll vote no on Tuesday.
"Right now, because I don't know what the full capacity of the infrastructure is in my district, I'm going to be voting no on these bills," Ellis said.
Ellis is introducing a new resolution —RS2025-1616— to tackle the infrastructure crisis without putting more costs on taxpayers. One way is an impact fee, a one-time charge on new development to help municipalities fund new public infrastructure.
"I'm asking the state to authorize us to collect the impact fees, and we are able to designate that for the infrastructure upgrades, but then also I want to be able to create a senior rehabilitation fund," Ellis said.
Under her proposal, Ellis will need approval from state lawmakers. She's also asking the state to return 3% of its real-estate transfer-tax revenue to local communities. This is a one-time fee imposed by state or local governments on the transfer of property ownership.
Ellis says that tax revenue has grown 134% in the last decade, bringing in $58 million just last year.
"All I'm asking is for 3% so for instance, you take a half-million-dollar home, the real estate transfer tax right now is $1,000 on that $500,000, and so the 3% that would only be asking $55 of $1,000 to go back to Davidson County," Ellis said.
Ellis says the extra funding could modernize aging roads, improve traffic signals, and help seniors stay in their homes by covering costs like home repairs.
"We already have neighborhoods that are decades old that need infrastructure upgrades," Ellis said.
Ellis says her bill already has some backing, but she is calling on the community to reach out to their Metro and state lawmakers to support her proposal.
This story was reported on-air by reporter Kelsey Gibbs and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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