This is what boiling a frog looks like. Eroding our constitutional property rights by allowing anti-development people into our government will lead to continued attempts to control what we’re allowed to do with our property here in Tullahoma.
This is a compilation of citizen comments from the Dec. 19 Planning Commission meeting regarding a radical proposal from new commissioner Marvin Sellers, an activist from the group with the green-and-yellow signs. This proposal failed but only because we had smart individuals in positions of power to stop it.
The Planning Commission remains a functional body in the City of Tullahoma—but that could change. Sharing this information with your friends and neighbors and encouraging them to engage with government will help keep our town moving forward with clear eyes and a good conscience.
“We need places for people to live.” Citizen comments from the Dec. 19 Tullahoma Planning Commission meeting.
The last few months have been exciting for Tullahoma with a lot of new commerce arriving in town—Marshalls, Ulta and McAllister’s Deli, to name a few—and other retail brands like Old Navy in the hopper. This, on top of new national security investment in our region, will only deepen the commitment of our area to the defense of this country.
At the most recent Planning Commission meeting, Jon Gray, a Tullahoma resident of 71 years, posed a concern that’s long been at the top of most of our minds: Where are all these employees going to live? Where are recent college graduates and young families relocating to the area supposed to live?
“We’re trying to get our young people to come back. Well, you need to build somewhere where they can live,” Gray said, echoing the frustration many citizens have voiced over the last two years regarding the urgent need for higher-density housing.
The good news is that citizen engagement is growing, and you *are* being heard by our city officials and boards. Please continue to attend meetings, speak up during public comment, and help us spread the word by sharing this post so that your friends and neighbors can keep up to date with what’s going on in this community.
“When a town quits growing … it starts to die.”
We appreciate the candor and thoughtful commentary of long-time real estate agent and Tullahoma resident of 47 years Joe Orr at the last Planning Commission meeting. As of Dec. 19, there were only four lots available for purchase in the City of Tullahoma, according to Weichert, Realtors -Joe Orr & Associates – Tullahoma.
Do you want to live in a town that is anti-development and full of more restrictions on land use? Joe Orr does not. We do not.
So what’s the solution to Tullahoma’s housing crisis? Tell us your thoughts on Facebook about what you would like to see Tullahoma do to address housing head-on, and share this post with your friends and neighbors so that they can keep up with what’s going on in our community, too.
Why does residential development in Tullahoma matter? Housing options aside, it brings about improvements to our roads and sidewalks for existing homeowners and renters, in addition to increasing the tax base for essential services like schools, fire and police departments.
Jeff Bowen, developer in the area for 38 years, breaks down the contradictions happening right now within our government.
“I keep hearing … that we need more affordable housing opportunities in this city, but at every turn as developers, we get more things put on us.” Check out his comments at the most recent Planning Commission meeting, and share this video with your friends and neighbors, so they can stay informed, too.
Those in the anti-development camp are now fond of saying how much we need new housing (just not in their backyard), but they miss the crucial point that it took major private investment to build the neighborhoods that exist today in Tullahoma.
Joe Lester, a local developer who has worked tirelessly since the 1980’s to build up our town in a thoughtful manner, states this to the planning commission in plain terms, revealing that it has cost $2.5 million to develop the new Pines neighborhood. He also pointed out that higher-density housing is the most successful and desirable way to utilize land for infill development.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments online, and continue to share these posts with your neighbors so they can know what’s going on in these meetings.