New Comprehensive Land Use Plan Passed
Franklin, TN –
The Williamson County Regional Planning Commission passed the new Comprehensive Land Use Plan 9-2 on March 12, 2020. The new revised plan replaced the 2007 Land Use Plan.
The most controversial feature of the new plan shifts zoning for land use from one unit per acre to one unit per five acres for most of Williamson County.
Many landowners were alarmed by the lack of notification given either by mail or signage about the change.
A few of the concerns voiced at the meeting included the following;
- decreased opportunity for building of much needed affordable housing options for community workers such as teachers, firemen, policemen and the like.
- property owner value decrease due to the down-zoning.
- a constraint put on property rights
- family and retirement planning that cannot be realized with the new zoning.
Many property owners sat in the audience with signs that read, “Don’t Deviate My Property”.
Others held signs that read, “Town and Country” displaying their favor of land preservation and a decrease of dense community housing development.
Commissioner Eddie Sanders made a motion to not vote at this time until the document is made more complete. The motion was voted down 8-2.
Some participants communicated support for the “Town and Country” effort of rural preservation citing what they considered negative examples in Stephen’s Valley and College Grove.
An advocate for the Town and Country perspective, Betsy Hester communicated her concern that the counties infrastructure such as roads and jails are not in a condition to handle the growth that the one to one zoning allowed.
