Richland Creek Greenway & England Park
Paved greenway following Richland Creek and connecting to Sylvan Park.
The Nations · Nashville, TN
Building under The Nations' new Urban Design Overlay
The Nations moved fast — from an overlooked industrial-adjacent district of 1920s–50s cottages to Nashville's most-cited infill story. In 2025 Metro Council adopted a comprehensive rezoning plus a new Urban Design Overlay adding tree, stormwater, and design standards on top of base zoning.
History & architecture
How The Nations was built
The Nations sits on a former floodplain and industrial tract along the Cumberland in West Nashville, platted in the early-to-mid 20th century with streets named for WWI Allied nations. It built out as a working-class district of warehouses, small factories, and modest single-family bungalows and cottages, mostly from the 1920s through the 1950s.
It stayed affordable and largely overlooked into the 2000s, then redeveloped rapidly starting around 2013–2017. Teardowns, tall-and-skinny infill, and a new commercial corridor along 51st Avenue North reshaped the neighborhood inside a decade, culminating in the contentious 2025 rezoning and design overlay.
- Typical era
- 1920s–1950s originals, heavy 2010s–present infill
- Dominant styles
- Modest cottages and bungalows; new tall-and-skinny two- and three-story infill
- Typical lot
- Small, industrial-adjacent lots
- Redevelopment pressure
- Among the highest in Nashville; active teardown-and-rebuild market
Landmarks & shared spaces
Places that anchor The Nations
51st Avenue North
The neighborhood's commercial spine and main social gathering strip.
Guido Van Helten mural
Large-scale portrait mural of longtime resident Lee Estes and the neighborhood's best-known public art.
McCabe Park
Large public park with recreation fields and a golf course bordering the neighborhood.
Centennial Boulevard
Industrial-turned-mixed-use corridor along the neighborhood's southern edge.
Businesses & districts
Where The Nations gathers
51st Avenue North strip
Dense cluster of restaurants, bars, and retail that emerged through the 2010s.
Neighborhood breweries and taprooms
Small-format breweries occupying converted industrial space along Centennial Blvd.
Charlotte Avenue
Bordering corridor mixing older auto-service and warehouse uses with newer mixed-use infill.
Coffee shops and fitness studios
Boutique retail clustered along 51st Ave as part of the corridor build-out.
Zoning & overlays
Common zoning codes in The Nations
These are the base districts and overlays we see most often on The Nations lots. Always confirm your parcel's district and overlays on the Metro zoning map before design decisions get expensive.
RS5 / R6Single-family and two-family residential
The residential base districts historically covering most of the neighborhood's small lots.
Rezoned 2025Higher-density residential in targeted areas
The 2025 rezoning (BL2025-831/832) increased allowed density and height in parts of the neighborhood. Verify your parcel's current district on Metro's zoning map — many changed.
IWD / CSIndustrial Warehousing and Commercial Services
Legacy industrial and commercial zoning reflecting the area's origins, concentrated near Centennial Blvd.
Overlays that apply here
UDO
The Nations Urban Design Overlay
Adopted 2025. Adds tree protection, stormwater, and design standards on top of base zoning across the neighborhood. There is no historic or conservation overlay here.
Permitting path
- 1Pull the parcel's current base zoning — the 2025 rezoning changed many districts, so older records may be out of date.
- 2Apply the Urban Design Overlay standards for tree protection, stormwater, and building design alongside the base district requirements.
- 3Submit to Metro Codes for building permit review; stormwater and tree requirements are reviewed in parallel.
- 4No historic design review applies, which generally keeps the schedule shorter than in overlay neighborhoods east of downtown.
Why it matters
The Nations's place in Nashville
The Nations is the most visible symbol of Nashville's redevelopment boom, cited locally and nationally as the case study in rapid neighborhood change.
Its tall-and-skinny infill defined a citywide housing type, and the 2025 rezoning fight made it the flashpoint for debates over density, affordability, and stormwater in a former floodplain.
Events & festivals
What happens in The Nations
51st Avenue pop-up markets
Periodic
Business-driven markets and events along the commercial corridor.
Richland Creek Greenway events
Seasonal
Cleanups, runs, and outdoor programming along the greenway.
Neighborhood association meetings
Recurring
Community meetings that have been unusually active through the rezoning process.
Designing here
What this means for your The Nations project
- Stormwater is the defining constraint. The neighborhood's floodplain history and the new overlay standards mean drainage has to be solved in design, not at permit.
- Tree protection standards under the UDO affect where a new footprint can go. Survey the existing canopy before locating an addition or ADU.
- The 2025 rezoning increased what's allowed in parts of the neighborhood — worth re-checking your parcel even if you looked a year ago.
- Without historic review, the schedule is more predictable here than in East Nashville or Germantown, but the design standards are still real.
FAQ
Questions about The Nations
Keep exploring
Other Nashville neighborhoods
Start your project
Planning an addition or ADU in The Nations?
Tell us about your lot and what you're hoping to do. We'll write back within one business day.