News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Putnam County Regional Planning Commission may begin discussions about creating countywide zoning districts.
Commission Secretary Mike Atwood said earlier this week that it’s time for the county to revisit the issue.
“We don’t have to establish a whole lot of zoning districts. We can start small because it’s a breathing document. Its going to be something that changes,” Atwood said. “The two things they (people) tell me when we discuss zoning is ‘don’t tell me what to do on my land.’ The second, in the same sentence is, ‘but tell the guy next door what to do on his land.’ You can’t have that both ways. That’s where the protection comes in. You establish small districts that regulate certain things.”
The Putnam County Commission voted against a recommendation to establish zoning districts more than 10-years ago. The county has not revisited the issue since that time.
Planning Director Kevin Rush said the intent of creating zoning districts is to separate incompatible uses of land. He used an example of when he worked in Smith County, which had a set of zoning code regulations.
“When people would come in, they were like, ‘You can’t tell me what I can and cannot do with my property.’ I said, OK, I’m going to buy the property next door to you,” Rush said. “I said, How about we do away with zoning, and then I’m going to put a junkyard in or a strip club or a factory that’s going to make your property valueless.”
The Putnam County Commission has not indicated plans to vote on zoning code regulations, but Planning Commissioner Jim Martin said he and his colleagues should take a proactive approach to the issue.
“As time goes on there’s more and more conversation about it. One of these days we need to be prepared to talk about it,” Martin said. “I’m telling you, at some point there’s going to be a request for us to study it again.”
Rush said zoning district discussions could take place as early as next month’s planning commission meeting.
