County commissioners discuss possible changes to subdivision requirements
By Sharon Myers/ Davidson Local
The Davidson County Board of Commissioners are considering whether there needs to be changes to housing development requirements, especially for subdivisions.
County Commissioner Matt Mizell requested the board hear information from the planning and zoning department on Thursday on what the current regulations are for housing development, and if there were any other possibilities to improve the density and appearance of new subdivisions. He said this was only a fact-finding request with discussion on whether there were any other possibilities to regulating housing development to explore.
“Given the increase in subdivisions and residential growth in the county, what levers are there that we can look at in trying to balance and preserve the overall character of Davidson County? Is there something more we could do to stem congestion, especially in the upper part of the county,” said Mizell.
Davidson County Planning Director Lee Crooks explained the county has made some major changes to subdivision requirements, but because it can take a long time for developers to complete an approved project, those changes mostly have yet to be seen.
In 2023, the county increased the minimum lot size for new residential development from 20,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet, except for watershed protection areas, where the minimum increased to 40,000 square feet. It also increased the setback distance from road and lot width.
These changes came after the housing crisis in 2020 and there was an influx of development projects, according to Crooks. But citizens were alarmed at the impact they had or will have on the surrounding communities.
Crooks said while these requests have slowed, the county is still growing in population and there will continue to be more housing development projects.
He said there are other options the board could consider to improve the appearance of these subdivisions, including green space requirements, buffering or screening with vegetation or infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks.
Several of the county commissioners said there was a concern that these requirements could add considerable costs to the developers, who would pass that cost onto the homebuyer.
Commissioner Chris Elliott said he was wary of any restrictions that would infringe on a property owner to sell or develop their land.
“Landowners rights are important to me,” said Elliott. “They should have the ability to own land, to sell land or operate their land as they see fit. This seems like a grab to limit their rights and moving towards more restrictions."
Crooks said it is a balancing act to create development requirements that provide enough growth to accommodate the county’s increase in population, while continuing to protect the rights and quality of life for existing citizens.
The Board of Commissioners requested that the planning and zoning board come up with some possible suggestions that they could consider.
“I think there are measures we can take to beautify Davidson County without infringing on the builders or the people that want to sell their property,” said Commissioner Steve Shell.
