By Tabitha Evans Moore, EDITOR & PUBLISHER
It’s 6:30 p.m. on Monday and local Kim Lehman stands before the Metro Council during a rezoning public hearing. The hearing in question revolves around rezoning the former Becker Animal Clinic from a commercial property to a residential one.
It’s the second public meeting Lehman has spoken at in the past several months. On December 5, Lehman was one of several local citizens who addressed the Metro Planning Commission with concerns about a new Tanyard Hill subdivision.
Lehman is part of a grassroot movement here in Moore County seeking to prevent our county from “losing our farmland to rapid urbanization.”
Farmland is lost every minute of every day.
According to a recently released study by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), a total of 1,775 parcels and over 992 acres of Moore County agricultural, farm, and forest land was converted to residential or commercial uses from 2015-2023.
According to the U.S. Census, Moore County is made up of 130 square miles or 83,200 total acres of land. This means, the UTIA study revealed a 1.08 percent change during that time.
For comparison, the surrounding counties’ rates of development change were Bedford County, 2.24 percent, Coffee County 2.269 percent, Franklin County, 1.17 percent, and Lincoln County, 1.11 percent.
“Every day, we lose 2,000 acres of farmland in the U.S.,” Lehman stated during her public comments. “To put it another way, on average, 1.4 acres of farmland is lost every minute of every day. Moore County is about 83,000 acres. In less than six weeks, statistically speaking, our entire county could be converted to concrete.”
But it’s an undisputable fact that the State of Tennessee is experiencing tremendous growth. Since 2010, we’ve experienced year-over-year growth with the largest population increases happening between 2019-2020 in cities like Clarksville, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Lebanon, and Chattanooga, according to University of Tennessee. In some cases, growth is outpacing infrastructure – especially in the suburbs and rural communities that surround big cities resulting in traffic congestion, crowded schools, and public utilities scrambling to meet demand.
“Save our town,” is a refrain being heard with increasing frequency around the state not just in Lynchburg.
We can hear them, but they aren’t really being heard.
It’s a concern both the Metro Planning Commission and the Metro Council take seriously and one that requires them to straddle a delicate balancing act between enforcing zoning ordinances while also respecting the rights of existing property owners and would be developers. Local elected officials say they are also very aware of the need for affordable housing in the county. There are no easy answers.
On Monday, and at the suggestion of Metro Planning Commission Chair Dexter Golden, the Metro Council voted to increase the required minimum building lot size on agricultural land from one acre to five acres. They also voted to increase the minimum building lot size in the controversial R-2 (or high density) zoning category from three quarters of an acre to one acre.
In prepared comments provided to The Times, Golden stated that, “Growth can be a good thing, but without the proper infrastructure it can be a burden on the taxpayers.”
The purpose of the proposed change Golden stated wasn’t to stop growth but rather slow it by forcing major subdivisions who wish to build on smaller tracts of land spaced more closely together into the rezoning process and in front of the Metro Council where citizens will get more opportunities to be heard and voice objections.
“At least we’re giving folks a chance for their voices to be heard this way,” Golden stated. “Because at Planning and Zoning meetings, if it’s in this book, we follow the book. We can hear them, but they aren’t really being heard.”
Growth is going to happen.
Under the new ordinance, anyone purchasing agricultural land in Moore County who wished to build on lots smaller than five acres would be required to request rezoning from A-1 or A-2 to residential. That process flows through the Metro Council and currently requires three separate approvals and a public hearing.
Golden also stressed that he wants a level playing field for all builders and developers coming into Moore County with potential projects and stated that the proposed changes were aimed at large subdivision projects not local families who wanted to gift a couple of acres to a family member.
“Most developers who come into the county go to the Metro Codes office and ask what they can and cannot do as a first step,” Golden stated. “I feel like we’re doing exactly what we should be doing by talking about these things now. Growth is going to happen.”
Peggy Sue Blackburn made the motion to increase the minimum building lot sizes and Shane Taylor seconded it.
There was some pushback from Metro Council member and local home builder Greg Guinn. Guinn also sits on the Metro Utilities Board.
“I do build in this community and don’t think it’s fair to limit to a lot size,” he stated during open discussion of Blackburn’s motion. “One of the biggest things I get called about is that citizens don’t want a tax rate increase. It’s kind of a double-edged sword in that we don’t want growth, but it’s the only way to limit a tax increase. If we’re saying we don’t want the growth, then we’ve got to be willing to take the consequences. I don’t know how I can sit here and say we don’t want growth when inflation is also catching us at every end.”
Golden re-emphasized that the purpose of his proposal wasn’t to stop growth but rather to make it a more controlled process with more opportunities for the public to be heard along the approval process.
“This body will still approve those projects as they see fit,” Golden stated. “It’s not like were going to completely stop growth.”
Golden also stated that he did not feel that growth alone would prevent a tax increase because said growth often brought with it infrastructure needs.
“Growth is good, but I don’t believe growth will solve your tax problem,” Golden stated.
The motion passed by a 11-1 vote. Blackburn, Golden, Sunny Rae Moorehead, Arvis Bobo, Jimmy Hammond, Shane Taylor, Bradley Dye, Gerald Burnett, Amy Cashion, John Taylor, and Douglas Carson voted in favor. Guinn voted against. Robert Bracewell abstained due to a “perceive conflict of interest.” Marty Cashion was absent from the meeting.
Citizens who want to get involved should attend public meetings and address their concerns directly with elected and appointed officials through the now state-mandated public comment section of each meeting. The next Metro Planning Commission meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 5 at 4:30 p.m. at the County Building and the next Metro Council meeting will take place on March 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the American Legion Building. •
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