Cedar Hill Vice Mayor/Citizens Petition 103 Acre Buzzard Creek Housing Development
ROBERTSON COUNTY TENNESSEE: (Smokey Barn News) – A proposed rezoning of a section of agricultural farmland in Robertson County has drawn criticism from Cedar Hill’s Vice Mayor and 855 area residents have signed an online petition against it.
Cedar Hill City Commissioner/ Vice Mayor John Edwards told Smokey Barn News he’s against the project.
“Recently, it was brought to my attention that there was a proposed Rezoning of agricultural farmland to R20/R40 residential for 103.94 acres in Cedar Hill, between Buzzard Creek and Bartlett Road,” Edwards said in a letter to Smokey Barn News on Friday. “Early discussions revealed that the end game was to develop the land and potentially build 175 houses on the 103.95 acres. As a City Commissioner and Vice Mayor for the city of Cedar Hill, I vehemently oppose the rezoning and development of this property. Nearby property owners, neighbors, and individuals in nearby communities staunchly oppose this as well. I believe that landowners that have purchased property should have the ability to build on said property, but also feel that; now more than ever, that landowners need to respect the sacrifices and investments that others have made in surrounding properties and the community itself.
“Cedar Hill and its nearby neighbors in Adams and Barren Plains take great pride in their rural heritage that has been carved out and cultivated through generations of farmers, cattlemen, and landowners. These fields don’t just hold crops, cattle, or openness, they hold our identity as a community and county. This land and our area are highly sought after due to the beautiful farmland and landscape that seems to roll through the horizon. We are starting to see a different horizon across our county though and the rolling acres are being replaced by high-density housing, subdivisions, and expansive development. We are selling out our community’s soul for a dollar that’s disguised as development.
“These rural views that we’ve come to love and be recognized by may very well be gone by the time the next generation enters into this world. Our community and county will look like the surrounding cities and counties that chose unchecked and irresponsible growth over our land and heritage if we continue upon the path we’ve mistakenly stumbled upon. It could be a true example for quantity over quality and mega housing over heritage.
“This proposed rezoning and development would benefit the few and hurt the many. 175 houses would bring an average of 2 cars per house, which would equate to over 350 more vehicles on our local highway and sharing our narrow and winding country roads with our many farmers and their equipment. Roads would have to be widened which would further cut into farmland and reduce yields for farms situated on the widened roads. Furthermore, speed limits would need to be reduced and a need for further traffic controls such as red lights would certainly be necessary to help with the flow of traffic in such a tightly situated area.
“In relationship to what the development would bring in vehicles, it would be most felt by the population boom that would occur with just that development. The average number of residents per house in Tennessee comes to a very conservative average of around 2.5. At a minimum, it would bring nearly 438 new folks into our community of 350. I would bet that the average would exceed the 2.5 figure and could triple the population with just this proposed development. This population would bring more families to our area, which would include children. That much of an increase would overwhelm our elementary and middle/high school and bring about the need for portables and increase the overall rates of students per teacher, which could reduce our teacher’s effectiveness in providing a quality and wholesome education to our children in this community. Will we deal with these issues in the future? As time goes by, almost certainly. However, such a development in our near future would bring this eventual need to a nearly immediate crisis.
“The opposition to this development is reflected by the current 855 signatures from citizens in our nearby communities that oppose this proposed rezoning and development and the countless others. Citizens in our cities, communities, and the county want to be heard and they want to help guide the growth of the areas we call home and where our children and our children’s children may call home. It is with all the factors mentioned above and the trust that was bestowed into me by the residents that live within the city limits of Cedar Hill that I ask for our Zoning and Planning, and our County Commissioners to represent those who bestowed that same trust in you to represent them. We were elected by the whole and not the few and I pray that we always keep that in mind as represent what is best for the community and its future. All of these things are expressed respectfully and I hope that all our citizens who oppose this get the same opportunity to express the same common concerns that I’ve touched on above.”
Sincerely,
John Edwards
City Commissioner/ Vice Mayor
City of Cedar Hill
The rezoning proposal will be discussed in the upcoming Robertson County Planning & Zoning meeting to be held on March 4, 2021, at 7 pm.
