The Mall at Green Hills
Nashville's premier luxury shopping center and the commercial anchor of the whole area.
Green Hills · Nashville, TN
Additions, garages, and ADUs on Green Hills' larger lots
Green Hills is an auto-era suburb of 1920s–1950s cottages, Tudors, and ranches on lots generous enough to actually absorb an addition. Most of it is straightforward RS zoning — but the Green Hills East pocket carries a conservation overlay, and the commercial core has its own design overlay.
History & architecture
How Green Hills was built
Green Hills developed from the late 1920s onward as one of Nashville's first automobile suburbs, marketed to city dwellers who wanted "no smoke or dirt." Developer John Calhoun's Green Hills subdivision anchored the early build-out, and Green Hills East is the namesake historic district.
Growth accelerated after the war, adding bungalows, Tudor Revival cottages, and mid-century ranches through the 1940s–60s. The 1955 opening of the Green Hills shopping center — later redeveloped as The Mall at Green Hills — locked in the area's commercial identity and, eventually, its land values.
- Typical era
- 1920s–1950s, with ongoing infill
- Dominant styles
- Cottages, bungalows, Tudor Revival, mid-century ranch
- Typical lot
- Roughly 7,500–15,000 sq ft
- Redevelopment pressure
- High land values drive teardown-rebuilds outside the Green Hills East overlay
Landmarks & shared spaces
Places that anchor Green Hills
Bluebird Café
The legendary 90-seat songwriter listening room on Hillsboro Pike.
Green Hills Public Library
Metro branch library that doubles as a community gathering space.
Green Hills East historic district
Cluster of late-1920s and 1930s homes recognized for architectural significance and covered by a conservation overlay.
Hillsboro Pike corridor
The spine connecting Green Hills to Belmont-Hillsboro and downtown.
Businesses & districts
Where Green Hills gathers
The Mall at Green Hills
Anchor luxury retail drawing shoppers from across the region.
Bluebird Café
Iconic music venue tucked into an unassuming strip center.
Whole Foods Market
Longtime neighborhood grocery anchor on Hillsboro Pike.
Abbott Martin Road corridor
Dense retail and restaurant strip serving the surrounding residential blocks.
Zoning & overlays
Common zoning codes in Green Hills
These are the base districts and overlays we see most often on Green Hills lots. Always confirm your parcel's district and overlays on the Metro zoning map before design decisions get expensive.
RS7.5Single-family residential, 7,500 sq ft lots
Common on the tighter blocks closer to the commercial core.
RS10Single-family residential, 10,000 sq ft lots
The workhorse district across much of Green Hills — usually enough room for a real addition or a detached garage.
RS15Single-family residential, 15,000 sq ft lots
Larger lots on the western and southern edges, with the most flexibility for a DADU.
MUL / CS / ONMixed Use Limited / Commercial Services / Office
Corridor zoning along Hillsboro Pike and Abbott Martin near the mall.
Overlays that apply here
NCZO
Green Hills East Neighborhood Conservation
Applies to the historic Green Hills East subdivision and regulates scale, setbacks, and demolition in that pocket only.
UDO
Green Hills Urban Design Overlay
Governs design standards in the commercial core around the mall. Administered through Planning, not the MHZC.
Permitting path
- 1Confirm whether the parcel is inside the Green Hills East conservation overlay — most of Green Hills is not.
- 2Inside the overlay, exterior alterations, additions, new construction, and demolition go to the MHZC before permitting.
- 3Outside the overlay, standard Metro Codes review applies with no historic design review layer.
- 4Commercial parcels in the core follow the Green Hills UDO through Planning Department review.
Why it matters
Green Hills's place in Nashville
Green Hills is one of Nashville's most affluent neighborhoods and its benchmark for residential property values, anchored by the region's premier shopping destination and a nationally known music venue.
The mix of intact 1920s–1950s housing, strong schools, and high-end retail keeps demand — and teardown pressure — high, which is what drove the Green Hills East conservation designation.
Events & festivals
What happens in Green Hills
Bluebird Café songwriter rounds
Year-round
Nightly ticketed writers' rounds that draw visitors from around the world.
Mall at Green Hills seasonal events
Seasonal
Holiday displays and shopping events at the commercial core.
Green Hills farmers market
Warmer months
Seasonal market held on area retail lots.
Designing here
What this means for your Green Hills project
- Lot sizes here are the real advantage. RS10 and RS15 parcels frequently have room for a two-story addition, a detached garage with a loft, or a DADU without maxing out coverage.
- Ranch homes take well to rear and side additions because the existing roof is low and easy to extend without dominating the street.
- Mature tree canopy is a genuine constraint. Locating a new footprint outside critical root zones saves both the tree and the review headache.
- If you're in Green Hills East, expect MHZC review. Everywhere else in Green Hills, you're on the standard codes path.
FAQ
Questions about Green Hills
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