The Wilson County Growth Plan Coordinating Committee has been reconvened at the request of the City of Mt. Juliet. This committee is primarily charged with agreeing upon designated growth boundaries within which a particular municipality may annex and incorporate land into their City limits, subject to the specific permission of the landowner being proposed for annexation. The Growth Boundaries, once adopted, may also serve as jurisdictional boundaries between regional planning commissions. This means that proposed subdivision development within a given municipality’s planning region must be reviewed and approved by the municipality’s regional planning commission rather than the County’s regional planning commission prior to development. This is true whether the property in question is proposed for annexation at that time or is proposed to remain an unincorporated area within County zoning jurisdiction. The city regional planning commissions also have jurisdiction to provide the state required planning commission recommendation to the County Commission (the County legislative body) when property is being proposed for County rezoning within a municipality’s extra-territorial planning region. Lastly, the municipality that has an extra-territorial planning region has the responsibility for incorporating land use direction into their city’s adopted municipal and regional land use plan. The City and County land use plans are used as the primary guidance, along with infrastructure considerations, for any proposed changes in zoning that may occur within the applicable planning region. While determination of extra-territorial planning region boundaries is a separate process; it typically occurs with adoption of any new growth boundary establishment.
There will be a series of public meetings occurring between now and Early February of 2023 for the purpose of hearing from the public about the proposed growth boundary modifications that have been presented to the County Growth Plan Coordinating Committee. The Growth Coordinating Committee is convened once any affected jurisdiction requests consideration for growth boundary modifications or wishes to discuss provisions associated with their growth boundary (and extra-territorial planning region). It is anticipated The City of Mt. Juliet, The City of Lebanon, The City of Watertown, and Wilson County Governments will each provide an advertised opportunity for input on the presented modifications to the current Growth Plan. These changes at present, consist of an expansion of Mt. Juliet’s proposed growth boundary and an expansion proposed by the City of Watertown. Any input received at these public meetings will be compiled and reported back to the Growth Coordinating Committee who will then consider the matter and release a final proposal to each of the legislative bodies (City Councils, City Commission, and County Commission) for their review and consideration of the growth plan proposal.
If each of the elected legislative bodies approve of the proposed modification to the Growth Plan, then the Growth Coordinating Committee will endorse the Plan and forward it to the State of Tennessee for Certification. If the various legislative bodies in Wilson County cannot all agree to the proposed modification, then the plan is referred to the Growth Coordinating Committee for further discussion and deliberation. The Committee may then refer a plan back to the legislative bodies for approval. If agreement between jurisdictions cannot be accomplished, then the respective jurisdictional elected bodies may request resolution by hearing via an administrative law judge who will render a final recommendation that can then be forwarded to the State of Tennessee for certification.
The current proposal as discussed by the Growth Coordinating Committee thus far is shown below. Copies of this map proposal may also be viewed at the Wilson County Planning Office www.wilsoncountyplanning.com or on the Wilson County Website at www.wilsoncountytn.gov. Referenced public meetings are tentatively scheduled as follows:
Monday January 9th, 2023 – Wilson County Public input meeting – 5:00PM
Hosted by Wilson County
County Commission Chambers
228 East Main Street
Lebanon, Tennessee 37087
Tuesday January 10, 2023 - Watertown Public input meeting - 5:00PM
Hosted by City of Watertown
City Hall Chambers
8630 Sparta Pike
Watertown, Tennessee 37184
Wednesday January 11th, 2023 – Mt. Juliet Public input meeting – 5:00PM
Hosted by City of Mt. Juliet
Charlie Daniels Park – In the Panatonni Room
1075 Charlie Daniels Parkway
Mt. Juliet, Tennesse3 37122
Thursday January 19, 2023 - Lebanon Public input meeting – 5:00PM
Hosted by City of Lebanon
Lebanon City Hall – In the City Council Chambers
200 North Castle Heights Blvd.
Lebanon, Tennessee 37087
Look for public advertisements by the respective jurisdictions once times and locations are finalized.