Nashville's Building Boom Sets Local Records

"See all those tower cranes in Nashville's skyline? They represent a record-smashing deluge of construction dough pouring into the economy," writes Adam Sichko.

The figures that back up that claim show a 30 percent increase in the value of building permits filed during the 2014-15 fiscal year. In fact, "Metro government approved $2,437,788,885 of building permits for its 2014-15 fiscal year," according to Sichko. That money will be invested toward the 11,708 permits Metro issued during that time.

All that building has left the city grappling with how to react. The city hired new mechanical, plumbing and electrical inspectors with plans to hire additional help. Metro also passed regulation this year limiting the hours that builders could operate machinery like jackhammers. And, according to Sichko, there's more to come, with several large residential complexes still in review but expected for permitting.