Local officials are inviting residents to discuss some substantial changes that have been proposed for Rutherford County.
These changes will likely come in the form of a new zoning resolution, which has not been rewritten since its adoption in 1985, and subdivision regulations, which will be implemented with the new Rutherford County Comprehensive Plan that was recently finished and approved by the Planning Commission.
“We are talking about a pretty significant change, so we encourage people to come,” Regional Planning Director Doug Demosi said.
He’s referring to an informal open house scheduled from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Rockvale Middle School. Residents are invited to browse the plan and ask questions; there will be no formal presentation.
For nearly two years, the Planning Commission worked with consulting firm PB Americas to devise a plan that reflects how citizens would like to see Rutherford County in the future.
Their goal is to create a plan designed to steer development into nodes, or centers, that are compatible with the character of the area.
“The big thing is trying to preserve the character of rural areas,” Demosi said. “That was the purpose of the nodes. We want to look at those individual areas, try to get an idea for the character and keep development consistent.”
Additionally, planners seek to guide future land development in a direction that protects natural resources.
“Future development needs to respect the natural resources of the land, the lay of the land, as well as cultural and historical resources which you all have said make Rutherford County unique,” David Hafley, project manager for PB Americas, said during a June 2010 Steering Committee meeting.
Exponential population has put pressure on the county’s rural areas and resources over the past 20 years, according to county officials.
Rutherford County is the fifth largest county in Tennessee in terms of population, with more than 262,000 people. The rate of population growth shows no signs of slowing and is projected to reach 400,000 by the year 2035.
According to the Comprehensive Plan, almost 60 acres of undeveloped land were converted per day in Middle Tennessee between 1992 and 1997, with Rutherford County leading in amount of land converted.
Most of the developed land is residential and current zoning regulations ease the development of large-scale residential developments.
The demand for housing is partly due to population growth in the county, but also because the average household size decreased to 2.52 in 2008.
In more recent years, new housing construction has been largely concentrated in unincorporated parts of the county.
More than 35 percent of Rutherford County’s new homes in 2009 were constructed in unincorporated areas. The Comprehensive Plan points to the availability of undeveloped lands and the absence of a city property tax as possible reasons for the shift.
Demosi explained the plan would require a change in residential zoning regulations as the county currently has a one-base regulation.
“Currently, the county is zoned R-15, which means that you can have three (housing) units per acre no matter where you are,” Demosi said.
Three scenarios were considered. However, there was overwhelming support for the scenario that could build upon existing conditions, while making changes that would preserve much of Rutherford County.
Suburban Belt, the preferred scenario, would allow medium density development in the areas just outside of municipalities and lower densities in the rural communities.
Undeveloped land that is not suitable for development would be reserved as conservation areas, which lie on the outer edges of the county and would allow very limited development.
Though the Suburban Belt scenario has been adopted by the Planning Commission, much work needs to be done before the plan is submitted to the Rutherford County Commission for adoption, county officials said.
The Planning Department will continue to hold community meetings in the coming months to gather input and concerns from citizens. |
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