Comprehensive Plan debate to continue on The Murfreesboro Post

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By: MELINDA HUDGINS, mhudgins@murfreesboropost.com

Posted: Thursday, January 26, 2012 12:00 am

Local residents submitted hundreds of comments regarding the Rutherford County Comprehensive Plan – about half of which were addressed at the county’s Planning Commission work session on Monday.

The meeting was held for discussion only; no decisions regarding the Comprehensive Plan were made.

Staff and planning commission members adjourned midway through the list of comments and will reconvene at 6 p.m. on Feb. 13 at the Rutherford County Courthouse to continue reviewing comments.

Staff reminded residents that while they are invited to attend the meeting, it is not a public hearing and will serve as a work session only.

Planning staff presented the Planning Commission with the comments, coupled with the regulation in question and the their response.

Many concerns regarded the plan’s purpose statements, which Planning Director Doug Demosi explained “are statements of general applicability of the document, not specific regulations. Most of the items … are discussed in greater detail in other parts of the document.”

Demosi also reminded the Planning Commission and residents that any regulations implemented by the Comprehensive Plan, once it is approved, will be applied from that point forward; regulations will not be retroactive. This means that most items will be grandfathered in as they stand today, and new regulations will only apply in certain situations, such as change of use.

Much discussion surrounded the proposed requirement of sidewalks within mobile home parks. While they provide safety for residents and visitors, some commissioners questioned the additional cost that may be passed onto residents of mobile homes.

Commisioner Will Jordan (Dist. 3) pointed out that a new mobile home park has not been applied for in 10 or 15 years, except for one that was within Smyrna’s city limits.

Again, Demosi reiterated that existing mobile home communities would not fall under the new regulations.

Planning staff members said they welcome additional questions, which will also be reviewed at the upcoming meeting, and residents should submit comments as soon as possible to give staff time to adequately respond.

Tagged under Agenda 21, Comprehensive Plan, County Commission, Doug Demosi, Planning, Rezoning, Rutherford County, Will Jordan

Member Opinions:

By: AnotherOption on 1/29/12
It's funny that Rhonda Allen (county commissioner) was concerned about "children's safetly" as the reason to require sidewalks in a mobile home park when subdivisions don't even require them... even futher irony is that all "existing" mobile home parks will be grandfathered and not require sidwalks... only new ones going forward... What, Ms Allen - you don't care about the safety of all the children that already don't have sidewalks in their mobile home park?

This just underlines the nanny-state attitude of a 'feeling' that people appointed to a position of power (she is on the Planning Commission) often throw their emotional weight around without recogizing the flawed logic of their argument...