Written by Jay Powell for The Daily Herald
Other than traffic and a need for better infrastructure, growth seems to be the main topic on many people's minds, particularly how to manage it over the next 10 years.
And part of it is how Maury County's respective municipalities and county leaders are working together to properly manage it for the best results.
The subject of growth in Maury County was the focus of a special panel this week, hosted by the Maury Chamber & Economic Alliance on Wednesday at the county Memorial Building before a crowd of over 100. The event consisted of a joint discussion among the top planning officials from Columbia, Spring Hill, Mt. Pleasant and Maury County, all of which had high hopes for the county's future, while also acknowledging that the ongoing population surge has raised a few concerns over the last few years.
"Growth is a big topic," Maury Alliance President Wil Evans, who hosted the panel, said. "If you look at the percentage of growth from 2019-2020, Maury County was No. 1 out of the 95 counties in the state ... And so it's no surprise we have been experiencing a solid pace of growth."
In 2016, Maury County's population was calculated at just under 90,000 people, and is currently estimated to have 102,000 people. By 2026, Evans said the county projects the numbers to increase to about 114,000.
The main question is whether the county has the ability to maintain its growth, and what it will take to manage it in a safe, smart way that benefits everyone, from the citizens to business owners and big-time investors.
Taking the 'smart' approach post-pandemic
One topic addressed was how each municipality, as well as the county, dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the next few years will look post-pandemic.
Spring Hill Planning Director Calvin Abram said the city has "grown by leaps and bounds," and expects the population to climb above 80,000 over the next three years.
"In terms of development, Spring Hill was looked at as a bedroom community," Abram said. "We are no longer a bedroom community, and we're looking to become more sustainable, looking at how we can better manage our operating costs and increase our staff. This means we are looking at more commercial development, more mixed-use development and incorporating smart growth."
This smart approach, Abram added, includes increased community outreach and engagement to determine the best way to develop certain corridors within the city.
Mt. Pleasant Building & Planning Director Rodney Howell said the state recently uplifted a moratorium for sewer permits, which continues to increase.
"We're starting to see double with some of the things going through our planning commission, with one breaking ground that is going to be about 50 homes," Howell said. "There are plenty other ones coming as well that we are adamantly working on."
Columbia Director of Development Services Paul Keltner said Columbia too has seen an immense increase in building permits over the last three years, the greatest of which has been townhome developments.
"Those have increased by 122% over the last three years, and we're now flirting with doing about 1,000 residential units permit-wise each year. I do believe we will see a lot of that stabilize over the next year," Keltner said. "I do see as we go forward, the plans we are seeing are much larger."
Greatest growth opportunities, concerns
The panel concluded Wednesday's discussion by answering questions submitted by citizens, primarily regarding concerns on the projected growth.
This includes whether Maury County should take steps to stop or slow the growth.
Abram said Spring Hill is not necessarily interested in stopping growth, but rather working to provide the best product for its citizens that enhances and improves their quality of life.
"With that responsible growth, what it takes into consideration is marketing trends, complying with the Unified Development Code and complying with the long-range comprehensive plan," Abram said. "Trends are essentially identifying that density is coming. The question is whether we stay on the front end, or are forced to be reactive on the back end."
Keltner added that there likely won't be a way to completely stop growth, but to take a more focused approach on what can be approved.
"Our biggest task is how do we plan for that growth, or direct that growth to where we want it as a community," Keltner said. "We're trying to give more direction, a little bit more focus in how things are being built and designed."
As far as the greatest opportunity and/or threat to Maury County's growth, Maury County Building Director Robert Caldiraro said there is a need for stronger regulations.
"It's more pertinent now than it was in years past because of the amount of population and the amount of nuisances attached to it," Caldiraro said. "I'm excited about it, and concerned about it at the same time. Unfortunately, the county doesn't have the density that the municipalities have for commercial use. Sometimes it can't support it, but sometimes it can."
Keltner concluded saying he too is excited by where the growth appears to be going for the county, but at the same time has concerns about approaching it in the right way. By having all Maury County municipalities working together, that only makes the chance for success greater.
"We have an opportunity to take a great city and make it even better moving forward, expanding on those positive attributes that have already been laid by our forefathers," Ketlner said. "At the same time, because of the speed and mass we are seeing, there is an opportunity as well to take situations that did not turn out so great, or were not well conceived, and correct them. There are great opportunities."