Zoning: New plan coming soon

Several months ago a subcommittee of the Cannon County Planning Commission was formed and tasked with making revisions to a zoning plan for Cannon County.

The previous plan was rejected by the Cannon County Board of Commissioners and several members of the community on the grounds it was too restrictive, confusing and did not include a mechanism for enforcement.

The subcommittee held a meeting on May 22 at the Cannon County Courthouse, during which it was announced it hoped to present a new zoning plan for consideration by the planning commission next month.

If approved by the planning commission, the next step in the process would be a public hearing to collect feedback from citizens and property owners. Then the full county commission would have the responsibility of approving or denying the plan.

According to Tommy Lee, local planner for the Upper Cumberland Development District, the new plan will feature four districts -- Agricultural, Residential, Commercial and Industrial.

Most of the county -- around 95 percent -- will be zoned agricultural/residential, Lee added.

"We have been going through and clarifying and simplifying the original plan and making it so the average citizen will be able to understand it," John Hackett, chairman of the subcommittee, said. "The original plan was too restrictive and hard to understand. This plan is simplified and makes a majority of the land in the county zoned agricultural/residential."

While the final plan is still in the process of being established, most of the land which will be zoned for commercial or industrial uses will be at seven or eight intersections along Highway 70 and Highway 53.

"The whole idea is to preserve personal freedoms and protect the rural quality of life here," Hackett said.

Hackett also said the tax rate of a property does not change unless the usage is changed.

All zoning will be subject to appeal. A board of zoning appeals will be established to hear requests. A permitting fee will be charged for appeals to pay an inspector to review requests.