Let's call it what it is! Urban Sprawl!

We are victims of our own success. We've let go of the reigns and this county has grown where the horse wants to run. It's Urban Sprawl. By definition, Urban Sprawl is the UNCONTROLLED expansion of urban areas. 

According to Britannica, "the rapid expansion of the geographic extent of cities and towns, often characterized by low-density residential housing, single-use zoning, and increased reliance on the private automobile for transportation. Urban sprawl is caused in part by the need to accommodate a rising urban population; however, in many metropolitan areas it results from a desire for increased living space and other residential amenities. Urban sprawl has been correlated with increased energy use, pollution, and traffic congestion and a decline in community distinctiveness and cohesiveness. In addition, by increasing the physical and environmental “footprints” of metropolitan areas, the phenomenon leads to the destruction of wildlife habitat and to the fragmentation of remaining natural areas.  

https://www.britannica.com/topic/urban-sprawl

Rutherford County is a textbook example of sprawl. It affects the way we plan and use water, it jams our commutes, it bloats housing costs.  But what should we do? Here are a few things we can do.

Even though developing every green field in this county makes a lot of people money, are we doing the right thing for our long term prosperity? 

• What will our county look like in 25 years? 35 years?
• Do we have the right number of public schools? 
• Are we creating jobs that allow people to advance, learn new things and earn more for their families? 
• Will we have clean water? 
• Will we be able to maintain our infrastructure? 
• Do we have places for people to enjoy the outdoors such as parks, make connections with their neighbors? 
• Can kids walk safely to the school next door, or ride their bike to hang out with their friends?

Many economists believe rapidly growing communities like ours will have a solvency issue as infrastructure begins to require maintenance. Communtities tend to pay for maintenance with growth. Just like solid waste companies working to make a quick buck, developers want to build profitable homes and walk away with the cash. It is our job to make sure we are developing responsibly.

Infrastructure is a liability. Our county has approximately 940 miles of county road to maintain. We must avoid any financial plan that requires rampant growth to fund our current infrastructure maintenance. Eventually our growth will end. Homes may or may not keep increasing in value at the rate we are currently experiencing. If we are not carefully considering the 25-30 year impact, the future commission will have a huge problem on their hands to maintain our infrastructure.

This is a plan that helps guide the planning department and leaders on where to promote growth based on the values of the citizens themselves. What do you want for Rutherford County?

According to the plan itself, "Recommend policies and strategies to guide land development and prioritize investments into public infrastructure and services."

More simply, we should plan our land use based on the way people move, work and play. We plan based on where we have or will have the infrastructure we need to support a growing community.

I would expect the planning department, the planning commission and the county commission to check zoning exceptions against this plan before approving land use requests. Otherwise our land use plan isn't worth the paper it is printed on.

You can see the plan yourself here: https://www.planrutherford.org/

By the time the 2026 elected commissioners take their seats, we'll know whether Plan Rutherford actually guides our growth, or if it's just a suggestion on a piece of paper. A special session of the Commission is scheduled in January 2026.

The entire county is zoned R15. Developers only have to request land zoning exceptions to increase density, or change the land use to something commercial. That means a land speculator or developer can divide farmland into 15,000 square foot lots, as long as they have a plan for water and sewer.  Should we build more densely? Yes, but in specific areas.

The free for all development of land creates pressure on roads that were designed for farmers to deliver goods to markets. When I moved to Rutherford County, I could go ride my bike and have no problem sharing the road with cars. It's become far too dangerous. I don't believe this is a sign of a liveable community. 

Some planners believe this county, based on current growth, will have a water crisis in ten years. If we're going to deal with that problem, it needs to be now. We can't keep "kicking the can" on problems we know we are creating.

Our neighboring counties in the Metropolitan Statistical Area that includes Davidson, Sumner, Wilson and Williamson are dealing with similar issues, though they have different laws that regulate property development. Some like Williamson are ahead of us in the growth curve. Following their solutions may provide some insight on what we should be doing 5 years ago. Again, the next best time is now.