Maury County: A Multi-Jurisdictional Approach to Comprehensive Planning

Quality Growth Case Study

Written by Kasey Talbott, 2010

Maury County leaders took a proactive approach when taking on comprehensive planning. Instead of just commissioning a county-wide plan, leaders from all major municipalities worked together to create one large plan that addressed the needs of the county and individual municipalities. This approach, assisted by CRT, not only was a wise use of fiscal resources by each jurisdiction, it has led to more efficient and effective planning efforts.

View the Maury County Case Study, PDF

Background

Maury County, located in south central Tennessee and comprising the cities of Colombia, Spring Hill and Mt. Pleasant, is a predominantly rural area, but over the past two decades has become increasingly suburban. From 2000 to 2007 Maury County’s population increased by a U.S. Census Bureau-estimated 15%. The rapid population growth has stressed infrastructure supply on roads and community facilities, while continued sprawling patterns of development exacerbate issues further.

Collaborative Leadership

Community leaders began to question how the continued growth would shape the future of Maury County. With the assistance of Cumberland Region Tomorrow, a series of educational smart growth strategy sessions were presented to Maury County leaders and through that process it was decided to take on the task of creating a comprehensive plan.

The leadership behind creating the plan decided to make a forward thinking move and include all of Maury County municipalities in the planning process. After some political negotiation a steering committee of 25 members was formed to represent the broad interest of all four local governments. The uniting factor for all groups involved was to insure the preservation of certain open spaces and to attract more industries in the area.

“That was our finest moment to have everyone sitting at the table. It was a large committee, but it needed to be if this was going to work.” – Eslick Daniel, a Maury County resident and co-chair of the steering committee.

Visioning and Consensus

To help guide development, data analysis and a series of visioning workshops with hundreds of stakeholders were conducted. In addition, analysis of existing trends and historic development patterns indentified and uncovered preliminary issues and opportunities. The year-long citizen participation process generated involvement from more than 400 community members.

These public participation forums included:

• Online surveys
• Kick Off Meeting
• Visioning Workshops
• Framework Workshops
• Review of Goals, Vision Statement, Conceptual Framework, Development Map and Complete Draft

Program Action

Based on the public participation the comprehensive plan was guided by the Community Vision; which reflects the growth and development strategies for Maury County over the next 20 years. The Vision is defined by the Vision Statement and Vision Themes.

Goals
The goals for each vision theme are listed below.

• Housing
• Create a variety of housing options
• Economic Development
• • Enhance Maury County’s economy with a sustainable and diverse base of businesses, job opportunities, and by coordinating economic development efforts
• Community Facilities, Infrastructure and Services
• Coordinate infrastructure expansion with future development, enhance quality of: parks, recreation activities, community faculties and water resources and services
• Transportation
• Enhance and Create efficient transportation options
• Natural and Cultural Resources
• Preserve historic, natural and cultural resources that help define Maury County’s sense of place
• Land Use and Community Character
• Enhance character of existing neighborhoods, preserve rural character, and maximize development efficiency through compact development
• Intergovernmental Coordination
• Enhance governmental coordination between Maury County and its cities and enhance regional, state, federal government coordination.

Strategic Implementation

Strategies
The plan listed several strategies to carry out the proposed policies for each Vision Theme. Some of the most common strategies recommended were: small area plans, overlay districts, regulation review and amendments, and
adjustment and creation of regulations, guidelines, and implementation tools.

Current Status

The Maury County Comprehensive Plan has been completed and is considered the first step in a long process of full implementation.

“The biggest thing we tried to impress on everyone is that this not another zoning/ code ordinance. It is a guide for future development and it is a living breathing document.” – Esick Daniel

Source:

Maury County Comprehensive Plan