The Nashville MPO funded two studies recently, one of which concentrated on the possibility of a northeast corridor that would stretch to Gallatin.

“They designed and funded and conducted those studies so they could get more information on the possibilities of the Nashville-to-Gallatin corridor, so it could be included in their upcoming 2035 regional transportation plan,” said Bridget Jones, executive director of Cumberland Region Tomorrow, a 10-county collaborative organization looking out for the interests of regional growth in Middle Tennessee.

Cumberland Region Tomorrow was formed a decade ago to deal with issues such as transportation, land use and growth planning in an area that includes the eight counties that touch Davidson County, and Maury and Dickson counties.

Jones said in a presentation to the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce Feb. 8 that the Gallatin on the Move 2020 General Transportation and Development Plan, adopted in 2008, is a model for other cities to emulate.

“It is one of the best comprehensive plans for a historic town center, in Gallatin, in our region, and probably in the state, and it positions Gallatin to be prepared for growth and development the way you want to see it happen, but also for potential future transit investment,” she said.

Mayor Jo Ann Graves said such comments “speaks volumes for the amount of work that went into the plan as well as the amount of public participation.”

Light rail is first choice

The Gallatin Planning Department has been updating its ordinances to bring them in line with what was included in the general plan in order to make those goals a reality. The city paid a consulting company $135,000 to develop the general plan update and to recommend changes that would need to be made in order to create the image that was intended by participating citizens.

Graves said the city is also working with the Middle Tennessee Mayors Caucus and the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee to determine the best transportation options for the region.

“If a mass transit system were to be developed, it would require a buy-in from all of Middle Tennessee,” Graves said.

Though those talks are in preliminary stages, Graves said the emphasis on the Nashville-to-Gallatin corridor indicated a positive outlook about what Gallatin represents to the rest of Middle Tennessee.

“It certainly says that Gallatin is on the forefront and that people are looking at Gallatin and paying attention to Gallatin because of our community vitality and the business climate that exists here,” she said.

Graves said her ideal first choice for public transportation would be a light-rail line, but she expects to see data about viable options by the summer, then the city will take that data and present it to the Mayors Caucus to determine the next step.

“I think that Sumner County as a whole prefers light rail, because light rail runs 24 hours a day,” Graves said. “Citizens have the most flexibility as far as ridership.”