Wilson County-Laying the Tracks for Quality Growth

Wilson County has an abundance of economic, community, and natural assets. With a population mostly concentrated in three incorporated cities—historic Lebanon, the growing city of Mt. Juliet, and rural Watertown—Wilson offers a little something for everyone.

The county seat, Lebanon, boasts a historic downtown and is home to Cumberland University and Cracker Barrel headquarters. Mt. Juliet, one of Tennessee’s fastest growing cities has drawn many families and businesses alike with its convenient location to Nashville’s airport and the region’s area lakes. Both communities are established distribution and manufacturing hubs for Middle Tennessee.

In 2006, Wilson County became home to the first modern commuter rail line in Tennessee. Today, the Music City Star takes thousands of Wilson County residents to work and back every day from Nashville. CRT first worked with Lebanon residents in 2008 through the regions second AIA 150 Blueprint Visioning Workshop, which focused on town center revitalization and transit oriented development.

Wilson County is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. Wilson County was established by an act of the Third General Assembly of the State of Tennessee on October 26, 1799, three years after the organization of the state itself and consists of 583.27 square miles. The county was named in honor of Major David Wilson, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Sumner County while it was yet a part of North Carolina. He was the first Speaker of the Territorial Assembly. The 2010 Census by the U.S. Census Bureau gives Wilson County a total population of 113,993 broken down by the following: Lebanon – 26,190, Mt. Juliet – 23,671, and Watertown – 1,477, with the remaining living in the county, outside of city limits.

AIA 150 Lebanon Case Study

Lebanon’s Town Center and It’s Neighborhoods: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, and the Potential of Transit-Oriented Development in Lebanon

On Thursday and Friday, August 9 and 10, 2007, citizens of Lebanon, Tennessee convened at Cumberland University’s Heydel Fine Arts Center Auditorium for Assessment and Visioning Workshops on Lebanon’s Town Center and Its Neighborhoods: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and The Potential of Transit-Oriented Development in Lebanon. This was the second of three such sets of workshops being convened this year in Middle Tennessee as part of the American Institute of Architects 150 Blueprint for America initiative, which celebrates through community interaction the AIA™’s 50th birthday.

Wilson County: 2008 Agricultural Economic Profile

Employment in Agriculture and Forestry made up 5% of total jobs created in Wilson County in 2008 with 2,491 total jobs in these sectors. Primary agriculture was the largest job creator with 1,183 jobs or 66% of total agriculture jobs created. Overall, the forestry industry created 687 jobs, most of which were secondary forestry jobs which were dominated by cardboard and paper manufacturing along with wood window manufacturing.

 

Progress On CRT Principles for Quality Growth:

Comprehensive community plans

Nestled in the very heart of Middle Tennessee, Wilson County boasts an abundance of economic, community, and natural assets. With a population of about 115,000 mostly concentrated in three incorporated cities—the county seat Lebanon, the largest city Mt. Juliet, and Watertown—Wilson offers a respite from fast-paced Nashville while still maintaining a vibrant community. To preserve the future of that community, citizens of Lebanon enlisted the aid of CRT and the AIA in 2007 for Visioning Workshops focusing on town center revitalization and transit-oriented development. As a pilot project for quality growth, the city is currently formulating its final plan, in conjunction with county-wide proposals.

Wilson is also collaborating with its neighbors Robertson and Sumner 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, CRT hosted the unveiling of the plan at the Power of Ten Summit in May, 2010. Like its partner counties, Wilson County’s comprehensive plan will build from the findings of the Tri-County Plan. The first round of public meetings were held in early March regarding the county’s priorities and land use, with further forums planned well into the summer.

Design for protection and enhancement of community character

The Square in downtown Lebanon defines the community, so maintaining and enhancing it is of utmost importance to Lebanon residents, and their planning efforts focus heavily on redevelopment and historic preservation. Workshop participants envisioned a major streetscaping project for the town square and surrounding business district, thereby creating a more noticeable “gateway” into the city. Since the true impact of further settlement on the aging buildings of the area remain ambiguous, engineers are conducting more exacting studies to allow future development initiatives to move forward with full knowledge of their effect on the older built environment. The city is already offering historic preservation tax incentives to stimulate adaptive reuse projects in the square.

Housing

Of the three counties participating in the Tri-County plan, Wilson boasts the highest predicted employment growth, at approximately 2.1% annually through 2035. Therefore, expanding and revitalizing the county housing stock with respect to smart growth principles will be critical in the coming decades. Again, Lebanon citizens want to focus housing renovations on the Square, opening a series of residential lofts intertwined with the commercial functions of the area.

Conservation

Although the existing documentation for community planning in Wilson prioritizes historic preservation and transportation over conservation, the county is certainly conscientious of environmental impacts. Lebanon and many other Wilson municipalities especially battle extensive floodplains in their development efforts. Building in such sensitive areas can be both ecologically and financially detrimental, especially if flood damage compromises the integrity of a structure. To discourage floodplain settlement, Lebanon planners have suggested building a man-made lake on the south end of the city as both a flood control device and a public amenity. The county also plans to conserve stretches of the Cumberland River to both protect it and increase its value to tourism and recreation.

Land use and transportation

Wilson planners are prioritizing transit-oriented development, cultivating a variety of transportation options that weave seamlessly throughout the county. Most notably, the Music City Star has provided regional train service between Lebanon and Nashville since 2006, the first major transit connection to Nashville that operates outside of Davidson County. Currently the Star operates with a daily ridership of nearly 1000, and ridership is expected to grow as gas prices spike for the summer and the stations become more easily accessible without a vehicle.

By clustering land use densely around key transit points, Wilson can encourage alternative transportation without compromising aesthetic value. For example, workshop agents suggested that a greenway connect the central transit station in Lebanon with the city’s most visited locations. Specifically, they hope to create walkable/bikeable connections between Cumberland University, the Castle Heights campus and its surrounding neighborhoods. Many such projects are already underway. However, America remains a car-oriented nation, and Lebanon also faces a parking crisis downtown that will require a new parking structure even as it advances alternative options. The city intends to label the Square a Tax Increment Financing District to encourage reinvestment and parking projects.

Use of Existing Infrastructure

Since Wilson’s construction industry has weathered the recent housing bust better than its neighboring counties, the county has been expanding its sewer services and thereby further attracting developers. Although this may be economically desirable in the short-term, the county must carefully consider the future costs of new infrastructure. By focusing on transit-oriented development around the Music City Star line, however, the county can incentivize settlement in existing, higher density areas.

Thinking and acting regionally

By working in conjunction with the Nashville MPO and its neighbors, Wilson County sets an admirable example for regional action. As Lebanon and its sister cities grow and feed into Nashville all the more in the coming decades, collaborative planning can only increase in importance. Thankfully, Wilson County has taken the first of many steps for smart growth.