Sumner County
Comprehensive community plans
In keeping with its neighbors, Sumner County is growing rapidly, posting a 15% population increase in the past decade. Furthermore, the county anticipates more than 85,000 new residents by 2035. Though its county seat, Gallatin, continues to attract residents and investment, the largest city of Hendersonville has truly taken off in recent years, anchored by its resilient manufacturing and distribution sector. Given this expansion, Sumner residents seized the opportunity to work with CRT’s
Quality Growth Toolbox Training program in October 2007, making them the first county-wide audience to do so.
Sumner is also collaborating with its neighbors Robertson and Wilson Counties to draft a
Tri-County Land Use Plan with the aid of the
Nashville MPO. Work began in April 2008 and the results were incorporated into the MPO’s
2035 Long Range Transportation Plan. Like its partner counties, Sumner County’s comprehensive plan builds from the findings of the Tri-County Plan and address the 70% of county land that remains unincorporated. The first round of public meetings were held in early March regarding the county's priorities and land use. The plan was adopted by the Sumner County Planning Commission in July of 2010.
In addition, the city of Gallatin has performed impressive work in creating the
Downtown Gallatin Master Plan and
Gallatin on the Move 2020. These two plans provide some of the best example of smart growth strategies in the 21st Century and many of the projects listed in the downtown plan have seen fruition over the past few years.
Design for protection and enhancement of community character
Sumner citizens highly value the unique sense of place in their communities. As public meetings progress, residents identified a cluster of “character areas” that deserve especially careful protection, ranging from vibrant village centers to sensitive conservation assets. Rural preservation also topped the priority list, since the vast majority of the county’s land is currently zoned for agriculture. The
Tri-County Plan labels historic preservation and character enhancement as a principle objective, so all of those valuable areas gain new emphasis with the plan’s release.
Housing
Though housing concerns ranked lowest of Sumner’s criteria of concern, the county plan certainly aims to diversify Sumner’s housing stock. Given the area’s rapid growth, much of the existing housing remains in good condition and demand is strong. For example, over 40% of Gallatin’s housing stock was constructed after 1980; however, most of that stock is concentrated in subdivisions and other single-use developments. Planners hope to direct future housing construction into mixed-use and mixed-income functions, while preserving the complex character of individual neighborhoods.
Conservation
The protection of natural resources is expected to be the top priority objective for the plan. A Natural Resources Protection Focus Group is currently discussed specific local strategies that support resource conservation. The group examined policy options and recommend those best suited for unincorporated land. Sumner County has also been selected as one of six communities in the United States to participate in a natural resources protection program conducted by the
Model Forest Policy Program, an opportunity that could pay dividends for county forest preservation momentum.
The county’s water resources deserve particular commitment. Since the inception of settlement in Sumner, the Cumberland River has defined the very livelihood of the area and it continues to provide a variety of benefits both economic and otherwise. Considering the river’s intrinsic value to the Sumner community, protecting it will be a central tenet of the coming comprehensive plan.
Land use and transportation
The public prioritized transportation efficiency only slightly behind resource conservation, and the Sumner planning team has already initiated several transit-oriented efforts. With the aid of CRT training, Gallatin published its community plan in 2008, which prioritizes regional transit development. Specifically, Hendersonville and Gallatin have joined in the Nashville MPO’s forthcoming Northeast Corridor Study, to be released in 2010. The Study analyzes a variety of express transport options along the thirty-mile corridor between Gallatin and Nashville, and the resulting transportation system is expected to drastically alleviate traffic congestion and other sprawl side effects. Additionally, the advent of the
Tri-County Plan will significantly progress transportation implementation throughout the county.
Use of Existing Infrastructure
Considering the county’s rapid population expansion and relatively new housing stock, incentivizing the use of existing infrastructure becomes all the more important. Since most of the infrastructure remains recent, maintenance costs are currently lower compared to counties with neighborhoods. Furthermore, rapid expansion can easily outpace the infrastructure budgets of Sumner municipalities if development is not directed to extant areas.
Rural preservation also dramatically affects infrastructure costs. Cost of Community Services studies conducted in select Tennessee counties— including neighboring Robertson County—evidence that converting agricultural land to residential uses typically costs a community more than simply preserving the open space or maintaining agricultural activities. Agricultural lands may pay far lower taxes, but those lands require far fewer infrastructure services.
Thinking and acting regionally
By collaborating with not only its own leaders, but with those from Nashville and neighboring counties, Sumner blazes an admirable trail for regional action. By actively participating in the Nashville MPO
Tri-County2035 and the
Northeast Corridor Study, its own comprehensive plan, and a variety of related regional projects, Sumner County ensures the vitality of its communities for decades to come.