Affordable Housing Development Planned for Nashville’s Jefferson Street
A new mixed-use development promising 100% affordable housing is planned for Nashville’s historic Jefferson Street corridor. The project, dubbed Hope House, is a collaboration between Pleasant Green Baptist Church CDC and The Rebecca James Company, with support from Martin Development LLC and EHR Development LLC.
The development will be a seven-story apartment building with a structured parking deck and ground-floor retail space. All 168 units will be designated as affordable, targeting residents earning 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
Jefferson Street, once a vibrant center of Nashville’s Black community, was significantly impacted by the construction of Interstate 40 in the 1960s. This new development aims to revitalize the corridor, offering much-needed housing options near Fisk University and Meharry Medical College, and closer to the city’s downtown core.
Pleasant Green Baptist Church will remain at its current location, with the new development occupying the vacant land surrounding the church at 1410 Jefferson Street. The project is being led by The Rebecca James Company, with STG serving as the architect and Thomas & Hutton handling civil engineering.
James Crockett, Founder & CEO of The Rebecca James Company, stated, “As lead developer for Hope House I am proud to help bring a project to life that reflects the values of this community. Our goal has been to create a place that offers stability dignity and opportunity for the people who will call it home. Hope House on Jefferson represents what can happen when thoughtful design and shared purpose come together and I am honored to be part of its story.”
The development plan includes approximately 6,000 square feet of commercial/retail space on the ground floor, facing Jefferson Street. The buildings are capped at seven stories and will be connected by sky bridges.
In addition to providing housing, Pleasant Green Baptist Church plans to offer onsite services to help residents build financial resilience and explore potential homeownership opportunities. A childcare operator is also being sought for the space.
The project is currently under review by the Metro Planning Commission and is scheduled to be on the agenda for . A request to rezone the 1.79-acre site from R6 and CS to SP zoning is required for the mixed-use development to proceed.
