JOHN COFFELTContributor

The Coffee County Commission in a 10-8 split vote on May 13 amended county zoning resolutions setting a 5-acre minimum lot size in A-1 agricultural districts.

Voting against the change were Commissioners Jimmy Hollandworth, Benton Brown, Roger Chambers, Tim Brown, Joseph Hodge, Missy DeFord, Lynn Sebourn and Frank Watkins.

County Planning Consultant Amanda Harris of RCS Consulting, retained by the mayor’s office, supported the amendment quoting the statistical rate that Tennessee loses farmland estimated per hour.

She said that larger minimum lot sizes detour speculative subdivisions and reduce farmland fragmentation and maintain larger tracks needed for commercial agriculture.

“Larger lots strengthen the county’s traditional rural identity, lessen tentative development, supports groundwater recharge and supports continuity and maintains wildlife habitat,” Harris said.

Tullahoma Mayor Lynn Sebourn, speaking from his position as a county commissioner, called into question a portion of Harris’s report suggesting it appeared at times one-sided.

“It says staff recommends, is that your staff or does it include our codes department,” Sebourn asked, confirming that it was referring to her staff.

Additionally, one bullet point provided in her report, according to Sebourn, omitted that a portion of stakeholders were for and some against the amendment.

“It seems to me that a staff report should present pros and cons and not be one-sided,” he said. 

Sebourn later in the discussion said the amendment would not do the job of protecting farmland that its supporters propose.

“We can make a five-acre lot (minimum) and that will help in regards to some things … but there’s nothing in what we’re doing tonight from anyone walking in and asking for a rezone to a residential (district) and thereby be qualified to put a subdivision on it,” Sebourn said.

“We need to be honest that have these five acre lots are not going to stop subdivisions,” he said.

County Mayor Dennis Hunt also brought Executive Vice President of Farm Bureau James Haskew of Madison County who compared Coffee to Marion County which does not have zoning resolutions.

“In recent terms, we have addressed special powers,” he said. “The County Commission wanted to invoke special powers to control what was developed in the county.”

The resolution passed Tuesday is the latest amendment to zoning that was initially developed in the early 2000s. With its passing, the Commission voted to end the 180-day moratorium on hearing subdivision requests for the A-1 district.

Commissioner Joseph Hodge criticized the moratorium asking what it accomplished.

“We haven’t heard yet what the problem is with the system we have right now,” Hodge said.