Maury County Pilot Project

Maury County, Columbia, Spring Hill and Mt Pleasant are working together to create a Comprehensive Plan that focuses on Open Space/Farm Land Conservation coupled with Historic Town Center Re-development.  The shared need to manage the cost of community services and the intense growth pressure from the I-65 and Hwy 31 south corridors motivated county leaders to call for this Comprehensive Planning pilot project.  The three cities planned jointly throughout late 2007 and early 2008. 

Multiple Community Advisory Committees charged with preparing the scope and bidding documents later determined to work toward these needs and also strived to retain and enhance Maury County’s  and the three Cities’ best community assets through this effort.  CRT thanks Dr. Eslick Daniel for his leadership as Chair of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee and MACTEC for their excellent work on this first regional Quality Growth Toolbox pilot project.  We also want to recognize and thank the Tennessee Rural Development program for their grant support of this important project.  A snapshot of the process this community followed is as follows:

Collaborative Leadership

  • Maury County Commission takes action to create Comprehensive Growth and Development Plan, after the Tennessee Center for Economic Development workshop in January 2007, which focused on Maury Vision 2020 recommendations completed in 2003
  • Maury County Co-Chairs Eslick Daniels & Jim York confirmed for Quality Growth Toolbox Pilot Project in March 2007 by Maury County Commission
  • Maury County Toolbox Pilot Underway with Ad Hoc Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee formation by Maury County Commission in March of 2007
  • Maury County Ad Hoc Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee made a successful recommendation to proceed to develop Comprehensive Plan on June 18, 2007 with $200,000 of county funding allocated by Maury County Commission
  • RFP Advisory Committee was then appointed by County Commission Chair on September 17, 2007 with the charge to develop a scope and bidding documents for the upcoming Comprehensive Plan.
Visioning & Consensus

  • CRT provides technical assistance to RFP Advisory Committee in RFP/RFQ development
  • Recommendations to proceed with RFP/RFQ in February of 2008 for Maury County, Columbia, Spring Hill and Mt Pleasant participation were successfully made and accepted
  • Maury County issued RFP/RFQ in March of 2008
  • Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee appointed in February of 2008 who then coordinated the selection of project consultant and will continue in oversight and coordination role
Program Action
  • MACTEC Engineering selected in April of 2008
  • County-wide Comprehensive Plan process began in May 2008 with the target completion date of May 2009
  • Rural Development Grant received in Spring 2008
  • Four-hour CRT Quality Growth Toolbox Training was delivered to 125 community officials and leaders on May 29, 2008
  • Two MACTEC Community Input Sessions completed on July 24 and September 16, 2008
  • Monthly Steering Committee meetings continue in support of MACTEC and comprehensive planning project
Strategic Implementation

  • Community Review Session underway in February, 2009
  • Comprehensive Plan Review, Completion and Approval targeted for Fall 2009
  • Updates to Implementation Tools – Codes, Regulations and Infrastructure Funding targeted to begin in Winter 2009
Citizen Involvement Totals
  • Forty key community leaders agreed to serve on three Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committees
  • Over 125 citizens and local officials participated in four-hour Toolbox Training on May 29, 2008
  • Over 100 citizens and local officials attended Comprehensive Planning Kick Off event on July 24, 2008
  • Over 200 citizens and local officials participated in two Community Input Workshops
Total Participation: More than 250 community leaders and citizens