DUANE SHERRILLEditor

The 2045 Comprehensive Plan for the city of Tullahoma, which will be a blueprint for growth for the next 20 years, has been given a favorable recommendation by the Planning Commission and will next go before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for consideration and potential ratification.

During the meeting in which the Planning Commission gave the present form of the 2045 plan the thumbs up, Director of Planning and Development Samuel Luthi noted that he had advertised the meeting to consider the 2045 plan in the newspaper and that there had been a front page article on the front page of the Tullahoma News. There were no public comments made at the meeting.

“Your actions are to review the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, create and approve the plan and then we send the document forth to the board of mayor and aldermen,” Luthi explained the process. “It is the board of mayor and aldermen’s duty to either adopt the document or they can choose not to adopt the document and send it back to the planning commission for further review.”

The latter is what happened to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan as the city board rejected it once it was submitted for ratification. That rejection led to the long process which culminated in the 2045 Comprehensive Plan that is currently being submitted for approval. The plan is the product to hundreds if not thousands of work hours by the CPCD Committee, hammering out the 20-year vision for the city of Tullahoma.

Luthi pointed out the board of mayor and aldermen will not get the chance to “manipulate” the plan that it is given as its crafting is under the stewardship of the planning commission. Instead, any problems the board of mayor and aldermen may have would be addressed by the planning commission.

While was no one present to speak for or against the 2045 plan although the commission did get some email comments that were not read aloud at the meeting.

During discussion it was asked if there are certain benchmarks on which the plan’s success could be measured if and when it is passed. It was also asked if there is anything in the plan that would deal with at the aesthetics of new construction.

Luthi said that after the comprehensive plan is passed by the city board, a future land use map will be brought before the planning commission for public comment and review. He also said there is presently a handbook that is used for aesthetics but that legally it is hard to enforce aesthetics guidelines to residential structures.

The Planning Commission sent a favorable recommendation about the 2045 Plan to the board of mayor and aldermen.

The planning commission voted 5-1 to give the Comprehensive Plan a favorable recommendation and send it on the board of mayor and aldermen. Chairman Paul Schwer voted against.

The comprehensive plan can be viewed here: