John Coffelt, Editor

The Coffee County Planning Commission approved during the Feb. 25 meeting a series of recommendations that will impact how and where rural landowners can subdivide major developments.

A major subdivision is one with five or more homes.

The list of recommended amendments to the county’s zoning resolutions included fire flow regulations that would require developers to upgrade public lines with inadequate fire flow back to the source (as much as 50% of the county in some areas have inadequate fire flow). Other recommended changes to the zoning resolutions include changing the minimum size for a lot in the A-1 agricultural zones from one acre to a five-acre lot, with a clause that would allow for family gifting to heirs.

This proposed change to require lots of at least 5 acres is designed to take the division of plats in the A-1 zone out of the hands of the Planning Commission who are appointed positions and giving it to elected officials in the County Commission. Anyone wanting to subdivide property into smaller lots would need to request for rezoning to RS-1 residential, which would eventually be heard by the full legislative body.

Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt noted during the meeting, in response to questions from the pubic, that the Planning Commission only enforces the county’s zoning resolutions. That document and any changes are approved by the County Commission.

A proposed amendment to change the minimum lot size in RS-1 residential zones from 8/10 an acre to 1 acre in areas with adequate fire flow met some resistance from member Rodney Duncan.

He felt that forcing larger rural lots would make buying homes in the county more restrictive to family members seeking to return to the county.

“The 8/10s and acre gives them a price (my kids when they graduate and come home from school) they can afford,” Duncan said. “With the price of land now, if you make the lot too big, they ain’t coming home. They can’t afford to.”

Duncan called the suggested amendment requiring subdivision roads connecting to public roads with a minimum of 50-foot right-of-way (20-foot paved roadway), a huge government overreach.

The restriction as passed 5-1 with Duncan offering the sole nay vote, would prevent subdivisions from being built on any of the county’s smaller “country roads.” Most of the county roads have 18-foot paved roadways.

“That just about shuts everything down,” Duncan said. “I’m of the Donald Trump (mentality) every time we make a rule, we need to remove 10. I don’t believe in robbing rights of anyone.”

“This would block 16th Model Road. It’s a great road. It should have a subdivision. The guy out there that does want to build a subdivision, make money and feed his family, you’ll be cutting his knees out,” Duncan said. 

“I’ve been a UPS driver in over six counties and never seen anything like this,” Duncan said.

Cunningham said he is not worried about any other county other than Coffee.

Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt brought up the recently approved preliminary plat for a subdivision on Old Airport Road. The Old Airport Road development would be grandfathered in if the amendment passes. 

The developer is required to place 20-foot wide roads with 50-foot right-of ways, that feed onto a 18-foot tar and chip road and a 40-foot right-of-way.

The recommendation for a zoning amendment requiring rural subdivisions to have public water supplied at fire flow standards with a minimum six-inch diameter line at the point of connection and be continuous back to the point of origin passed unanimously.

“This is something that I think is very important,” Cunningham said.

Firefighter and Board of Zoning Appeals Member Sammy Morton said Hillsboro has only 27 fire hydrants, but only 12 meet the required 500 gallon per minute requirement for fire flow.

Rural fire departments all sign a liability contract with the utility providers acknowledging their responsibility for damages that would result from attaching a pump engine line to a hydrant with less than 500 gpm flow.    

Morton said firefighters in some areas have to travel up to eight miles to a hydrant. Fire flow is tested by rural fire departments every five years for the community’s ISO insurance rating.

Planning Commissioner Sammy Anderson said that smaller water lines, in some cases two-inch lines, were put in to balance the demands of the residents 50 years ago and keeping the water from going stale.

Cunningham said the burden of the improving infrastructure should fall on the developer and not on the taxpayers.

The additional property taxes generated by a developed property as compared to the minimal taxes levied for greenbelt agricultural property was not discussed.      

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.