Housing Forum 2016: National Case Studies and Local Initiatives

Each year, thousands of new residents move to Nashville, adding to the creativity and vibrancy of the city. The resulting housing boom has revitalized many of the city’s corridors, allowed for creative re-use of underutilized sites, and created dense, urban housing in sustainable, infill locations.

The housing boom has also raised concerns about the cost of housing in Nashville, displacement of long-term residents, the preservation of neighborhood character, and has highlighted the need for new housing types and models.

In the context of the housing boom and debate on housing growth and affordability, ULI Nashville’s Housing Forum 2016 will inform this conversation by exploring successful housing developments from Middle Tennessee and across the country – developments that are addressing the issues facing Nashville.

Moderated by Stockton Williams of the ULI Terwilliger Center on Housing, ULI Nashville’s Housing Forum 2016 will feature developers from Atlanta, Minneapolis and Nashville:

• James Alexander of the Atlanta BeltLine, which pledges to create 5,600 units of affordable housing over 25 years, in proximity to transit, greenspace and trails;
• Alan Arthur of Aeon, developer and manager of over 2,200 units of affordable housing in Minneapolis including the recently-completed “The Rose,” mixed-income development; and
• David McGowan of Nashville’s Regent Homes, developer of some of Nashville’s first residential developments with mixed housing types, including Lenox Village and Westhaven, who will speak about developing housing for the ‘workforce’.

With these models in mind, we hope to share an update from the Mayor’s Office on its work on affordable and workforce housing and from the Metro Planning Department, which is currently drafting a proposal to address affordable and workforce housing.

The Forum will conclude with a panel of local experts on housing representing multiple sectors providing housing that meets a range of housing needs. The panel will discuss the models from Nashville, Atlanta and Minneapolis, and provide insight on how Nashville should guide its housing boom to the benefit of all Nashvillians.