Nashville Launches Nolensville Pike All-Access Transit Corridor as City Advances High-Density TOD Housing Rules

Nashville Advances Nolensville Pike All-Access Transit Corridor

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Accelerating the operational rollout of Nashville's landmark voter-approved transit initiative, the Metro Nashville Government and WeGo Public Transit moved into active engineering and corridor design for the Nolensville Pike All-Access Corridor in October 2026. As a flagship component of the comprehensive $3.1 billion 'Choose How You Move' program, the arterial overhaul introduces dedicated center-running bus transit lanes, queue jumps, optimized traffic signal prioritization, and continuous ADA-accessible pedestrian sidewalks along one of Middle Tennessee's most traveled corridors.

Civic planners and transit officials emphasized that the high-frequency transit investments are engineered to dramatically reduce travel times for tens of thousands of daily commuters while drastically improving pedestrian crossing safety through historically dense commercial and residential neighborhoods.

Metro Council Evaluates 60-Unit Transit-Oriented Density Zoning Reforms

Parallel to corridor construction timelines, the Nashville Metro Council initiated formal policy deliberations on sweeping Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zoning reforms. The proposed regulatory framework permits residential densities of up to 60 units per acre within a quarter-mile radius of designated all-access transit corridors and high-capacity stations, actively discouraging suburban sprawl while fostering walkable urban micro-communities.

The zoning modernization aligns directly with the administration's FY 2026 Unified Housing Strategy (UHS), which leverages municipally owned parcels along transit spines to accelerate affordable and workforce housing production through dedicated allocations from the Barnes Housing Trust Fund and regional Catalyst Loan Funds.

Donelson Transit Center Enables Joint Mixed-Income Housing Development

Highlighting tangible co-location milestones, civil engineering teams advanced site integration at the newly operational Donelson Transit Center, structuring a public-private joint development agreement that will construct permanently affordable apartments and neighborhood retail directly above transit bays. Concurrently, WeGo expanded high-frequency Sunday schedules and established new 'WeGo Link' microtransit zones across suburban Davidson County.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell affirmed that linking multi-billion-dollar transit spines directly with attainable infill housing establishes an enduring foundation for equitable, transit-connected growth across Nashville.