Concerned Citizens Calling for Commissioners to vote “No”to Proposed Zoning Change

Several citizens of Coffee County have reached out to Coffee County News, expressing concern over the “the Waterson application requesting the creation of ‘Q-1 special Quarrying District’.”

Property owner Sid Sandstrom tells CCN , “the application will, remove any and all provisions regarding mining activities, quarrying activities, and related services from the current Revised Zoning Resolution of Coffee County.”

“The proposed new Q-1 district would allow:

‘without limitation, (emphasis added) the mining or quarrying of clay, stone, phosphate rock, metallic ore, limestone, gravel, sand, chert, marble, or dimension stone, and any other solid material or substance of commercial value found in natural deposits on or in the earth, and incidental and ancillary uses including, without limitation, operation of a concrete plant, and asphalt plant and construction related business.’

Sandstrom stated that the Waterson Application, should it be approved, would pave the way for far more than just one quarry (emphasis added).. “Q-1 would permit multiple quarry sites in Coffee County by specifying that : ‘quarrying activities . . . shall not be located closer than five (5) miles to any other site where mining and quarrying activities and related services occur within the county . . ‘.”

In addition to the possibility of multiple approved quarry sites just five (5) miles apart throughout the county, Sandstrom pointed out that the current Zoning Resolution (4.047, M-2, Special Impact Industrial District), “’which deals with mining and quarrying’, states that it ‘is intended to provide a mechanism for managing a wide variety of high impact, potentially noxious and/or dangerous’ activities and industries.’

“Because of the nature of uses permitted in the M-2 district, which include along with quarries and mining, such other uses as solid waste processing and recycling, waste incinerators, including hospital and medical waste, arsenals, fireworks manufacturing and storage, and petroleum refining and related industries,” Sandstrom said, “ there is a list of eleven criteria in the current Zoning Resolution which is to be used in evaluating the appropriateness of a site to be reclassified to an M-2 district. As stated in the proposal to create the Q-1 district, those criteria will be removed if the proposed Q-1 is adopted.”

Sandstrom continues, “”The Q-1 proposal, in effect, eliminates much of the input from local citizens, county officials, along with the evaluation of independent experts. In effect, it transfers to state and federal bureaucrats much of that decision making. Thus, state and federal bureaucrats who are focused on procedural correctness are making decisions for the county rather than county officials who are tasked with focusing on county residents as specifically laid out in the “Purpose ” section of the current Resolution. (see full resolution at bottom of article)

”And then there are the unintended consequences, ” Sandstrom said  ” There is a fear that, by creating a new Q-1 district, it will set a legal precedent that will allow other industries identified as “high impact, potentially noxious and/or dangerous” to also propose new special districts  A case in point: with Rutherford County running out of space in their landfill, where the county trucks our garbage, will there be pressure to carve out a special L-1 (landfill district) for one or more landfill sites in the county? And the list goes on.”

CCN has also spoken with other concerned citizens, some of whom have formed the group “Save Coffee County TN” (SCCTN).  One member of the group said, “We formed SCCTN in an effort to further defend and protect the county’s communities from drastic changes like the ones outlined in the Waterson Application.  As citizens and land-owners of this county, we elect our commissioners to represent us and protect our rights as citizens here.  The current application expressly seeks to remove that authority from our commissioners and other local leaders. And that’s just ONE area of the application with which we take exception!”  This source asked that her name be withheld at this time “because we aren’t just individuals anymore – we stand as a group; we stand for ALL the communities of Coffee County, not just the specific communities where we each may live.”  She added, “We would ask all like-minded Coffee County citizens to visit our website:  https://www.savecoffeecountytn.com/   and sign the petition asking our Commissioners to Vote No to Q-1 Zoning. 

The SCCTN website also states, “An application has been submitted to create a new rock quarry zone (Q-1). The zone will allow rock quarries to be developed every five miles throughout the county. Our current quarry zoning, M-2, keeps quarrying activity within the Urban Growth Boundary, protecting our rural and agricultural livelihoods. Quarry after quarry will be approved if the Q-1 zone is adopted with nothing we can do to save our communities. The Planning Commission will be voting on this proposal on September 22. They MUST hear that we OPPOSE the nightmare that would come with a Q-1 Zone. Please sign the petition and help us put a stop to this zoning application!”

Coffee County News has reached out to the Planning  Commission office, and is still awaiting response. More information will be published as it becomes available.

Concerned citizens of Coffee County have come together to form the “Save Coffee County Initiative” to voice their concerns. The initiative has formed a website and petition for residents of Coffee County to sign to oppose the zoning change.

The initiative’s website states, “An application has been submitted to create a new rock quarry zone (Q-1). The zone will allow rock quarries to be developed every five miles throughout the county. Our current quarry zoning, M-2, keeps quarrying activity within the Urban Growth Boundary, protecting our rural and agricultural livelihoods. Quarry after quarry will be approved if the Q-1 zone is adopted with nothing we can do to save our communities. The Planning Commission will be voting on this proposal on September 22. They MUST hear that we OPPOSE the nightmare that would come with a Q-1 Zone. Please sign the petition and help us put a stop to this zoning application!”

Revised Zoning Resolution Purpose

The purpose of this Resolution is to promote the public health, safety, morals, convenience, order, prosperity and general welfare by:

A.  Enhancing the character and stability of residential, business, commercial, and industrial areas, and promoting the orderly and beneficial development of such areas;

B.  Preventing overcrowding of land;

C.  Conserving the value of land and buildings;

D.  Minimizing traffic hazards and congestion;

E.  Preventing undo concentration of population;

F.  Providing for adequate light, air, privacy, and sanitation;

G.  Reducing hazards from fire, flood, and other dangers;

H.  Assisting in the economic provision, utilization, and expansion of all services provided to the public, including but not limited to roads, water and sewer service, recreation, schools, and emergency services;

I.  Encouraging the most appropriate uses of land;

J.  Enhancing the natural, man-made and historical amenities of Coffee County, Tennessee;

K.  To protect the safety and property rights of the citizens of the County, as well as,

L  To protect the natural resources of the land.

For more information about the Save Coffee County initiative, you can visit their Facebook page or website at savecoffeecountytn.com.

Resolution

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