Davidson/Metro Nashville: The Region’s heart

Davidson County has a history of acting and planning beyond political borders. In 1963, Davidson County and the City of Nashville consolidated to form one government, known as the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Today, Nashville is Middle Tennessee’s center for commerce, industry, transportation, politics, higher education and culture. Boasting famous universities such as Vanderbilt and Fisk, Tennessee’s state capital, two professional sport franchises, multiple national headquarters, three major interstate routes, and of course the home of country music, Nashville is unquestionably the heart and soul of Middle Tennessee. Metro Nashville is consistently recognized by the national media as one of the top places to start a business and live.

Cumberland Region Tomorrow works with regional leaders and organizations in the Nashville Metro region to insure the heart of the region continues to remain economically competitive and provide a high quality of life and regional services.

Nashville was founded by James Robertson, John Donelson, and a party of Wataugans in 1779, and was originally called Fort Nashborough, after the American Revolutionary War hero Francis Nash. Nashville quickly grew because of its strategic location, accessibility as a river port, and its later status as a major railroad center. In 1806, Nashville was incorporated as a city and became the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1843, the city was named the permanent capital of the state of Tennessee.

By 1860, when the first rumblings of secession began to be heard across the South, antebellum Nashville was a very prosperous city. The city’s significance as a shipping port made it a desirable prize as a means of controlling important river and railroad transportation routes. In February 1862, Nashville became the first state capital to fall to Union troops. The Battle of Nashville (December 15–16, 1864) was a significant Union victory and perhaps the most decisive tactical victory gained by either side in the war.

Within a few years after the Civil War the city had reclaimed its important shipping and trading position and also developed a solid manufacturing base. The post-Civil War years of the late 19th century brought a newfound prosperity to Nashville. These healthy economic times left the city with a legacy of grand classical-style buildings, which can still be seen around the downtown area.
Since the 1970s, the city has experienced tremendous growth, particularly during the economic boom of the 1990s under the leadership of then-Mayor and later-Tennessee Governor, Phil Bredesen, who made urban renewal a priority, and fostered the construction or renovation of several city landmarks, including the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the downtown Nashville Public Library, the Bridgestone Arena, and LP Field.

In 1997 Nashville was awarded an NHL expansion team which was subsequently named the Nashville Predators. LP Field (formerly Adelphia Coliseum) was built after the National Football League’s (NFL) Houston Oilers agreed to move to the city in 1995. The NFL team debuted in Nashville in 1998 at Vanderbilt Stadium, and LP Field opened in the summer of 1999. The Oilers changed their name to the Tennessee Titans and saw a season culminate in the Music City Miracle and a close Super Bowl game that came down to the last play.

Today, the city along the Cumberland River is a crossroads of American culture, and one of the fastest-growing areas of the Upland South.

Nashville: Place Making Through In-fill & Corridor Development

Quality Growth Case Study

Written by Kasey Talbott, 2010

Using a grant from the Rose Institute, Metro Nashville-Davidson County is studying the conversion of major transportation corridors marked by sprawl development to more complete streets designs including: street enhancements, bike lanes, green and previous surfacing, design codes and more.

Davidson County: 2008 Agricultural Economic Profile

Employment in Agriculture and Forestry made up 1.9% of total jobs created in Davidson County in 2008 with 11,124 total jobs in these sectors. Secondary agriculture was the largest job creator with 7,312 jobs or 90% of total agriculture jobs created. Overall, the forestry industry created 2,984 jobs in 2008. Cabinets (664), windows (367) and custom architectural wood manufacturing (449) lead the way in forestry job creation.

Progress On CRT Principles for Quality Growth:

Comprehensive Community Plans

Nashville/Davidson County has set the example for the Cumberland Region by establishing and implementing its comprehensive community plan, entitled “Concept 2010.” This plan is based on public input and the design expertise of the Nashville Planning Department, and it guides the overall physical growth of the city. Concept 2010 contains more specific plans for the fourteen “communities” segmented by the planning department. These future planning documents are updated every 7-10 years and are designed to bring a more tailored approach to the planning process, specially fitted to each community within Concept 2010. Within each community the planning department has developed Detailed Neighborhood Design Plans for neighborhoods within Nashville communities that require a more detailed and thorough planning strategy. Detailed Neighborhood Design Plans are the creation of metropolitan planning managers and public input, and contain maps and description of the ideal future land use within each neighborhood, along with zoning recommendations.

Updated Zoning, Subdivision and Building Codes to Implement Plans

Davidson County has also been a leader to the region with its updated zoning regulations and creative incentives for smart growth. Nashville has implemented both specific plan (SP) zoning, along with adaptive reuse zoning in the county, both of which are supplemental policy changes that can be tools for the execution of the comprehensive plan. Along with alternative zoning options, Nashville Planning has updated their subdivision regulations to give incentive for builders to create more walkable communities within the county. The city of Nashville has also issued its first Green Building Permit in the city. The residential project is set to begin in March and is a 920 square foot home on Philips street.

Design for protection and enhancement of community character

In the past, Davidson County’s land use policy was based exclusively on use and density. This led to poor land use decisions due to a lack of design accountability in the private sector. As the city has grown, however, Nashville Planning has developed a Community Character Manual, which is now the county’s dictionary of land use policy for builders and developers. The benefit to the CCM is that it allows for developers and builders to be accountable to the overall vision of the city when they add to the built environment. The CCM is a vehicle to build and enhance the character of each community in Nashville, and it protects the built environment from compromising new building and construction.

Nashville also utilizes zoning overlays in order to preserve neighborhoods that have historic significance to the city. The result of a historic overlay is that historically valuable architecture and resources within designated neighborhoods are preserved, while new construction within these zoning overlays must conform to the architectural and organizational style of the neighborhood in order to preserve or contribute to its overall community character. Many special places have been saved through the use of this zoning tool.

Redevelopment of Cities, Towns, Rural Communities

The Civic Design Center is currently involved in the revitalization of many of Nashville’s urban neighborhoods. The role of the Civic Design Center is to help residents envision changes and improvements to their community, to advise on design options that help achieve that vision, and to advocate for changes that promote healthy and sustainable neighborhoods in Nashville’s urban core. Currently, the Civic Design Center is working with neighborhoods in Northeast Nashville, Edgehill, Salemtown, Germantown, East Germantown, Buena Vista, Wedgewood-Houston, and Rolling Mill Hill. Infill development and reinvestment in the downtown area also has sparked new interest in land-uses other than office space that have been largely ignored in the downtown district.

Housing

The Nashville Planning Department is continuing to develop plans and policy to promote a wide variety of housing choices. One way that new housing choices are being promoted is through the application of adaptive reuse zoning to corridors that the city is redeveloping. The result of the adaptive reuse zoning is increased residential options in areas that were previously zoned for industrial or commercial purposes. The most recent Nashville adaptive reuse success stories are the Lofts and Werthan Mills in the Germantown Neighborhood, along with the Cummings Station reuse project on Demonbreun Street in the downtown community. These projects have renovated old industrial buildings for other uses, including offices and residences, and they have each been pivotal to the revitalization of their respective neighborhoods.

Nashville has also begun to approve new concepts and ideas that will bring a healthy mixture in housing style and affordability to its residents. Many new cottage subdivisions have been approved and are in the beginning stages of implementation. The cottage is a small and affordable home that has been absent from city’s housing repertoire, and the new projects are sure to attract residents seeking a small, affordable living situation within the city. Nashville Planning is also establishing corridors around strategic locations in order to support public transit, allowing for low-income residents to have broader options when choosing a home. The planning Department also focuses on housing choice when it crafts its detailed community plans.

Conservation

Nashville focuses on conservation through planning efforts of their community plan updates. Also, the Community Character Manual emphasizes strict conservation measure enforced on any land that is classified as environmentally sensitive. The Land Trust for Tennessee is also active in Davidson County conservation. Currently, the Land Trust controls 465 acres in Davidson County. The Land Trust protects Tennessee’s natural and historic landscapes and sites through donations of conservation easements that protect important land resource

Land Use and Transportation

The Northeast Corridor Mobility Study was initiated by the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to develop a regional transportation investment strategy for the 30-mile corridor between downtown Nashville and Gallatin, TN. The study examined existing land use and possible transportation improvements likely to be initiated early in the next decade. The city is expecting new roadway improvements as well as a new Bus Rapid Transit system initiated in the Gallatin corridor.

The Nashville Planning Department has partnered with the MPO to designate the Gallatin corridor as Nashville’s first arterial redevelopment district. The Planning Department is also looking to utilize the Northeast Corridor Mobility Study in its creation of the Madison Detailed Neighborhood Design Plan. Working closely with the MPO has allowed the planners of Nashville to come up with sound transportation strategies that are sustainable and increase the quality of life for the entire county.

Efficient Use of Prexisting Infrastructure

As the most populous and dense city in the Cumberland Region, Nashville Davidson County is experiencing an exciting time for urban infill development. Both Cummins Station and Werthan Mills Lofts are projects that have improved and developed unused warehouse space into attractive office and residential space. The county also has awarded the Bellevue and Hickory Hollow neighborhoods with Tax Increment Financing (TIF) zoning for the improvement of previous infrastructure in the areas.

Thinking and Acting Regionally

Davidson County is a leader in thinking regionally. Much of the county’s regionalism is based on the role that the planning department and public believe that Davidson County plays in relation to other counties in the Cumberland region. The planning department seeks to find a role for each community in the county, and relate that in a larger sense to the rest of the region. This perspective plays a large role when deciding issues of future land use, density, transportation, and economic development.