Bill Freeman, the Nashville-based real estate investor and developer who actively welcomed Section 8 housing vouchers at his properties, passed away at the age of 73.
According to a report in The Tennessean, Freeman co-founded Freeman Webb Co., a multifamily real estate investment and management firm whose portfolio encompassed more than 18,000 rental homes and apartments across Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Freeman Webb was among the prominent regional landlords to accept low-income Section 8 subsidized federal housing vouchers.
“The bulk of our portfolio has an average rent of just over $1,000,” Freeman said an interview with The Tennessean. “We’re a naturally affordable landlord. We rent to the people who keep Nashville running.”
Freeman stepped down from his company’s leadership last year and passed on the company’s control to his son, Bob Freeman.
Outside of real estate, Freeman was an active fundraiser for his state’s Democratic Party and owned the Nashville Scene and Nashville Post newspapers. He was also a pilot and served on the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board for eight years under he stepped down last March.
“Tonight, we lost Bill Freeman,” said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell in a post on X. “Bill was many things — real estate visionary, mayoral candidate, pilot, media magnate, staunch Democrat — and friend. Our city, state, and nation are better for his tenacity and commitment. We will miss him dearly, and my heart is with his family.”
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