Sumner County-The Region’s Community on the Lake

As with many of the counties surrounding Davidson, Sumner County experienced a major population increase over the past three decades. The county’s close location to downtown Nashville along with its natural beauty and the recreational and living opportunities offered by Old Hickory Lake, make Sumner County a desirable place for many residents in Middle Tennessee.

Gallatin, located just 25 miles northeast of Nashville, serves as the county seat and has seen tremendous revitalization in the downtown neighborhood over the past few years. Hendersonville, “The City by the Lake” has seen continued growth and is well known for being the home to many country music legends from the past and present. In addition, Sumner County has many smaller incorporated communities such as Westmoreland, Whitehouse, Portland and Mitchellville all with unique identities and character of their own.

Over the next two decades the county anticipates that more than 85,000 new residents will call Sumner County home. Sumner County leaders from all planning commissions were the first to receive CRT’s Quality Growth Toolbox Training Program in 2007. Since that time, Sumner County, Gallatin, Hendersonville and Whitehouse have adopted and implemented award-winning comprehensive plans that prioritize open space conservation in rural areas and quality design in downtown corridors.

In 1786 the North Carolina General Assembly created Sumner County and named it for Revolutionary War General Jethro Sumner. The rolling hills and well-watered lands attracted pioneer leaders of the stature of Daniel Smith and Anthony Bledsoe

Sumner County is located in Middle Tennessee along the northern boundary of the state, on the border with Kentucky. The Cumberland River was important to early trade and transportation, as it merges with the Ohio River to the west. Sumner County is in the Greater Nashville metropolitan area.

Sumner County: Preserving Open Spaces & Cultural Places

Quality Growth Case Study

Written by Kasey Talbott, 2010

Over 70% of Sumner County is unincorporated. Recognizing this and the strains of current and future projected population growth in the coming decades, Sumner County leaders decided to address the issues head on. The result is one of the best comprehensive plans in the region. With help from CRT’s GIS Greenprint tool, the plan emphasizes open space conservation.

Gallatin: A Downtown Focus to Transforming a City

Quality Growth Case Study

Written by Kasey Talbott, 2010

Downtown Gallatin has experienced a total revitalization. Through committed efforts by city leaders the downtown area has become one of the most attractive, walkable and most envious downtowns in the region. With an emphasis on infill development and high design standards this award-wining effort has set a new bar in Middle Tennessee.

Gallatin on the Move 2020: Character Area Focus to Comprehensive Planning

Quality Growth Case Study

Written by Kasey Talbott, 2010

Following the success of the Downtown Revitalization, Gallatin has begun to address disinvested corridors within the immediate neighborhood. The goal of this project to upgrade streetscaping, design standards, and infrastructure in hopes of encouraging new development and commerce back toward the city core.

Sumner County: 2008 Agricultural Economic Profile

Employment in Agriculture and Forestry made up 4.2% of total jobs created in Sumner County in 2008 with 2,498 total jobs in these sectors. Primary agriculture was the largest job creator with 1,786 jobs or 86% of total agriculture jobs created. Overall, the forestry industry created 412 jobs or 16% of total agriculture and forestry jobs created in 2008.

 

Progress On CRT Principles for Quality Growth:

Comprehensive community plans

In keeping with its neighbors, Sumner County is growing rapidly, posting a 15% population increase in the past decade. Furthermore, the county anticipates more than 85,000 new residents by 2035. Though its county seat, Gallatin, continues to attract residents and investment, the largest city of Hendersonville has truly taken off in recent years, anchored by its resilient manufacturing and distribution sector. Given this expansion, Sumner residents seized the opportunity to work with CRT’s Quality Growth Toolbox Training program in October 2007, making them the first county-wide audience to do so.

Sumner is also collaborating with its neighbors Robertson and Wilson Counties to draft a Tri-County Land Use Plan with the aid of the Nashville MPO. Work began in April 2008 and the results were incorporated into the MPO’s 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan. Like its partner counties, Sumner County’s comprehensive plan builds from the findings of the Tri-County Plan and address the 70% of county land that remains unincorporated. The first round of public meetings were held in early March regarding the county’s priorities and land use. The plan was adopted by the Sumner County Planning Commission in July of 2010.

In addition, the city of Gallatin has performed impressive work in creating the Downtown Gallatin Master Plan and Gallatin on the Move 2020. These two plans provide some of the best example of smart growth strategies in the 21st Century and many of the projects listed in the downtown plan have seen fruition over the past few years.

Design for protection and enhancement of community character

Sumner citizens highly value the unique sense of place in their communities. As public meetings progress, residents identified a cluster of “character areas” that deserve especially careful protection, ranging from vibrant village centers to sensitive conservation assets. Rural preservation also topped the priority list, since the vast majority of the county’s land is currently zoned for agriculture. The Tri-County Plan labels historic preservation and character enhancement as a principle objective, so all of those valuable areas gain new emphasis with the plan’s release.

Housing

Though housing concerns ranked lowest of Sumner’s criteria of concern, the county plan certainly aims to diversify Sumner’s housing stock. Given the area’s rapid growth, much of the existing housing remains in good condition and demand is strong. For example, over 40% of Gallatin’s housing stock was constructed after 1980; however, most of that stock is concentrated in subdivisions and other single-use developments. Planners hope to direct future housing construction into mixed-use and mixed-income functions, while preserving the complex character of individual neighborhoods.

Conservation

The protection of natural resources is expected to be the top priority objective for the plan. A Natural Resources Protection Focus Group is currently discussed specific local strategies that support resource conservation. The group examined policy options and recommend those best suited for unincorporated land. Sumner County has also been selected as one of six communities in the United States to participate in a natural resources protection program conducted by the Model Forest Policy Program, an opportunity that could pay dividends for county forest preservation momentum.

The county’s water resources deserve particular commitment. Since the inception of settlement in Sumner, the Cumberland River has defined the very livelihood of the area and it continues to provide a variety of benefits both economic and otherwise. Considering the river’s intrinsic value to the Sumner community, protecting it will be a central tenet of the coming comprehensive plan.

Land use and transportation

The public prioritized transportation efficiency only slightly behind resource conservation, and the Sumner planning team has already initiated several transit-oriented efforts. With the aid of CRT training, Gallatin published its community plan in 2008, which prioritizes regional transit development. Specifically, Hendersonville and Gallatin have joined in the Nashville MPO’s forthcoming Northeast Corridor Study, to be released in 2010. The Study analyzes a variety of express transport options along the thirty-mile corridor between Gallatin and Nashville, and the resulting transportation system is expected to drastically alleviate traffic congestion and other sprawl side effects. Additionally, the advent of the Tri-County Plan will significantly progress transportation implementation throughout the county.

Use of Existing Infrastructure

Considering the county’s rapid population expansion and relatively new housing stock, incentivizing the use of existing infrastructure becomes all the more important. Since most of the infrastructure remains recent, maintenance costs are currently lower compared to counties with neighborhoods. Furthermore, rapid expansion can easily outpace the infrastructure budgets of Sumner municipalities if development is not directed to extant areas.

Rural preservation also dramatically affects infrastructure costs. Cost of Community Services studies conducted in select Tennessee counties— including neighboring Robertson County—evidence that converting agricultural land to residential uses typically costs a community more than simply preserving the open space or maintaining agricultural activities. Agricultural lands may pay far lower taxes, but those lands require far fewer infrastructure services.

Thinking and acting regionally

By collaborating with not only its own leaders, but with those from Nashville and neighboring counties, Sumner blazes an admirable trail for regional action. By actively participating in the Nashville MPO Tri-County2035 and the Northeast Corridor Study, its own comprehensive plan, and a variety of related regional projects, Sumner County ensures the vitality of its communities for decades to come.