John Coffelt, Editor

Two local petitions on Change.org have been posted recently hoping to impact the votes of Coffee County Commissioners on the subject of developments in the rural areas of the county.

The discussion will come to a vote during the March 11 meeting that will focus on several sweeping changes to the county zoning resolutions and a proposed 180-day moratorium meeting of the commission. 

The petition “Halt the Demolition of Farmland for Housing Developments” created Jan. 6 has (as of Friday) 1247 verified signers, while the “Protect Coffee County Land Rights” started March 5 has quickly gained 312.

The “Halt the Demolition of Farmland” petition can be found at  https://chng.it/rMPpFZZd5D and the “Protect Coffee County Land Rights” at https://www.change.org/Protect_Your_Land_Rights.

Halt the Demolition petition founder Shawn Jones writes that “Across the country, agricultural land is being razed to make way for urban development at an alarming rate. … This not only endangers our rural heritage and the sustainable provision of food, but also destroys vital ecosystems which are part of our planet’s defense against climate change.”

“Furthermore, urban sprawl with uncontrolled housing projects fosters social issues like increased commuting times, congestion, and pollution, affecting the quality of life of all citizens.”

Those who support the “Protect Coffee County Land Rights,” see the changes as a restriction on landowners’ civil liberties. 

Attorney Garth R. Segroves writes that he created the latter petition, “for the citizens of Coffee County to express their desire to maintain their constitutional rights in property that they own.  The ability to maintain the highest and best use for your land and not restricting your freedom of property ownership is what this petition reflects.  Government oversight to this degree, in this county, is not what reflects the majority of Coffee County Citizens.”

“Imposing a development moratorium in Coffee County is an extreme step that infringes on fundamental property rights, denying residents the freedom to utilize and improve their land,” Segroves told the Times.  

“This moratorium would stifle economic growth, limit job opportunities, and halt community improvements. We support sustainable development and collaborative planning with developers to address community concerns. We see no reason that can’t be accomplished under the county’s regular policies and procedures. A moratorium is an extreme measure that should be reserved for emergency situations requiring immediate action.”

Much of the discussion related to the matter goes back to the proposed 39-lot subdivision on Old Airport Road which critics said was unsuitable for the area, citing concerns with the traffic on Old Airport Road, the area’s lack of adequate fire flow and a family cemetery on the property.

Following the approval of the subdivision preliminary plat, Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt proposed during the Feb. 25 Planning Commission meeting a 90-day moratorium on the county hearing subdivision reviews for subdivisions in the A-1 Agricultural zones. During that meeting the 90-day moratorium was expanded to 180-days with the commission recommending it along with an amendment to the zoning resolutions that would significantly restrict where subdivisions can be built rural areas.

Northcutt said the county was rushing the matter based on a push by a few people rather than moving in the best interests of the whole population.

“The reason that they say this is happening is to protect farmers and protect farmland,” he said. “The real reason is that it is to stop growth.”

During a Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen Meeting on March 4 Nicolas Northcutt said that the proposed restrictions will negatively impact farmers.

“Nobody is telling farmers they can’t farm,” he said. “When (the changes) come to a head is when the farmer is 80 years old and passes away and his 80-year-old-wife is left with the farm. That is when their lifetime of hard work and investment in what is mostly likely their most valuable asset that’s where it’s going to hurt them.”

The proposed changes, Northcutt said, devalue people’s property because it “robs them of their potential of dividing. Nobody is forcing anybody to divide, but the potential to divide makes your property worth so much more.”

“The common refrain I keep hearing is we don’t want a Rutherford County,” Northcutt said, “…but we have to get to Tullahoma before we can be like Murfreesboro.”

Northcutt said he will be lobbying the county commission to vote no on the proposed 180-day moratorium on new subdivisions in areas zoned A-1 agricultural and on the changes to the zoning resolutions or to postpone the vote.

Hunt, during the Feb. 25 Planning meeting, presented the moratorium along with some bleak statistics related to the rate of development of agricultural land.

“The destruction of (agricultural) lands has reached epidemic proportions,” Hunt said. “We would be remissed not to address that. Anything that we do to bring residential… growth back to the municipalities will be viewed favorably in the future.” 

Citing University of Tennessee data, Hunt said that statewide 9.7 acres per hour of farmland are being lost to residential, industrial or commercial development. He added that in Coffee County since 2023, 7,653 Ag parcels have been converted to non-farming uses.

“You have to remember when you go into a grocery store it didn’t come from a factory, it came from a farm,” Hunt said.    

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.