BRADY FLANIGANStaff Writer

At this past week’s Tullahoma Planning Commission meeting, a local property owner, Randy Anderson and Northcutt & Associates, presented a request to have their dual-zoned property converted from low-density residential (RS-1) and general commercial (C-2) to entirely general commercial (C-2). Located at 4212 Old Manchester Hwy, the property has long been dual-zoned, but Anderson and Northcutt & Associates hope to transform it into an exclusively C-2 commercial space, opening the possibility for retail or office development.

This effort has brought controversy to a number of locals who wish to see their area stay untouched by commercial development. When the planning commission opened the amendment to public comment, the first individual to voice his apprehensions was neighbor Barney Scott, saying, “the reason we bought the property where we’re at … is because we don’t want to be in the town. We don’t want to be in the city. We don’t want commercial.”

The next individual to speak raised concerns about the impact a commercial property might have on local traffic and the area’s rural character. Debra Truman approached the podium arguing, “I’m fourth generation. My daughter will be fifth generation there. To have something just requested as commercial land in the middle of farmland, we have cows, we have horses, and crops growing … the property is on the corner of Old Manchester Highway, and Innman Crossing. Innman Crossing is just a small two lane road between the old highway and the new highway, so if you add apartment buildings or businesses there on that corner, you’re going to have traffic.”

The final person to voice their apprehensions was nearby resident Shirley Robertson. She approached the podium and stated, “I’m not really crazy about having anything else there, storage buildings, motels, anything like that. We are 78 years old, and we’re not interested in having any other buildings, construction equipment, or anything that would take away the value of our site.” 

Part of this controversy stemmed from confusion about how the property was dual-zoned to begin with. According to Tullahoma Planning and Codes Director Charles Rush, “most of the people who attended last month’s meeting believed this had originally failed, so I had a Freedom of Information Act filled out and I requested that for any kind of zoning information. We never received anything from Coffee County in regards to that … since we cannot prove this was done legally, I recommend we send an unfavorable recommendation to Coffee County.”.

After Rush’s recommendation, the board passed the unfavorable recommendation 7-0, and the amendment will be sent to the Coffee County Commission for further review. For now, the future of the property remains uncertain, as the debate over balancing growth with preserving community continues in Tullahoma.