Subdivision pause, zoning changes top Council agenda

A subdivision moratorium, mobile home park zoning rules, and Denby's rezoning request lead Metro Council to-do list

5:38 p.m. Oct. 15, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Moore County could put the brakes on new residential subdivisions for a year. The proposed pause heads to the Metro Council Monday night, along with changes to the county's R-2 zoning rules and several rezoning requests.

Among those requests is another attempt by Joe Denby to rezone property along Tanyard Hill Road. Denby, who has already seen two versions of his proposal rejected by the council, is scheduled to speak during public comment.

The council will consider a $1 million loan for water system improvements, changes to its debt management policy, and a request for next spring's Oak Barrel Half Marathon.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at the American Legion, 119 Booneville Highway. A public hearing is scheduled for 6:20 p.m.

• Metro Council Agenda and Packet

A year to sort out growth

After weeks of discussion by the Planning and Zoning Commission, the proposed subdivision moratorium is ready for the council's consideration. The ordinance included in Monday's meeting packet would impose a one-year halt on accepting, processing, reviewing, or approving applications for major and minor subdivisions. Permits associated with those applications would also be affected.

A second paragraph specifically addresses residential development, including single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes, and apartments.

There is a wording issue the council may need to settle. The ordinance initially refers broadly to major and minor subdivisions, while the following paragraph limits its language to residential development. Whether the restriction could extend to nonresidential subdivisions is not entirely clear from the draft.

A nonresidential subdivision is land divided into smaller lots for businesses, farms, industries, or other uses that don't involve housing.

Planning and Zoning spent considerable time Oct. 6 working through similar questions, particularly how to keep the moratorium from affecting projects the county never intended to stop.

Under the subdivision definitions discussed by commissioners, four lots would trigger minor subdivision requirements, while five or more would be considered major. Projects involving three or fewer lots would fall below those thresholds.

The proposed ordinance is not written as a blanket ban on home construction. It does, however, specifically include apartments and other multifamily housing among the residential projects subject to the proposed pause.

Chairman Dexter Golden has contended that Moore County needs time to update its development rules and examine what continued growth means for roads, water, sewer, schools, and other public services. During the Oct. 6 discussion, Golden said he did not want new development coming "on the backs of the taxpayers that are here."

Commissioner Jim Crawford raised a different concern. Moore County needs housing, he said, particularly for younger residents who want to remain in the county but struggle to find somewhere to live. Crawford questioned whether including apartments in the moratorium would make that problem worse.

Commissioners also discussed whether the county could finish rewriting its rules before the full year expired. Golden said the pause could be lifted early if that work was completed.

The draft going before the council would allow exceptions to be granted by the Metro Council. It does not spell out a general exemption for applications already moving through the development process.

Rezoning requests could still move through the council, but a property owner who wins rezoning approval could face a separate hurdle if the project requires subdivision approval during the proposed moratorium.

R-2 zoning could change

Another proposed ordinance would amend Article V, Section 5.044, of Moore County's zoning ordinance, adding mobile home parks to the list of special exceptions allowed in R-2 Residential District - Rural Center zoning.

R-2 is intended for rural centers where residential development and certain commercial or service-related uses can operate together. The county's ordinance describes it as a flexible district designed to accommodate growth within those areas while limiting the spread of mixed land uses into the surrounding countryside.

The amendment would add the following language: "Mobile Home Parks as regulated in Article IV, Section 4.120 Development Standards for Mobile Home Parks."

Under the proposal, mobile home parks would not be automatically permitted on every R-2 property. They would require approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals and would have to meet the county's development standards for mobile home parks.

The change would apply to the R-2 district generally, rather than granting approval for a mobile home park on a specific piece of property. Planning and Zoning recommended the amendment Oct. 6.

Denby makes another trip to the council

Joe Denby's proposed Tanyard Hill subdivision is back on the agenda, this time with three changes to a plat that has already been through several rounds of review. His request to rezone 9.4 acres at 3152 Tanyard Hill Road from A-1 agricultural to R-2 residential is scheduled for first reading.

Denby first sought a broader rezoning in July, but the council rejected that request 11-2 after members questioned lot sizes, road safety, and the amount of acreage involved.

He returned in August with a narrower request, which passed first reading 8-5. The council rejected that version 7-3 on second reading Sept. 21, leaving the property under agricultural zoning.

Denby then returned to Planning and Zoning Oct. 6 with three revisions.

The first increases a visual easement on Lot 3 by 5 feet to improve safety. The second extends the ingress, egress, and utility easements serving Lot 6 by more than 50 feet, providing additional flexibility for driveway and utility access. The third adds a restriction to Lot 8, prohibiting further development of that tract for three years following approval of the subdivision plat.

Golden told commissioners the proposal needed substantive changes before it could return through the rezoning process, under the commission's understanding of Robert's Rules of Order. Commissioners agreed the revisions met that requirement, sending the rezoning request back to the council.

The smaller lots still would not meet the five-acre minimum required under A-1 zoning, making council approval of the rezoning necessary for the plan to move forward.

Monday's first reading would not grant final rezoning approval, nor would it approve the subdivision plat.

The council will also consider first reading of a request to rezone 2.49 acres at 2670 Flat Creek Highway from A-1 agricultural to R-2 residential. The property is associated with Weaver Land and Cattle LLC, Mitchell Butler, and Joel Weaver.

Two other rezonings are scheduled for second reading: Tax Map 004, Parcel 007.00, from C-1 to R-2, and Tax Map 046, Parcel 030.00, from A-1 to R-2.

$1 million loan for water improvements

The council will also consider borrowing up to $1 million for water system improvements, including waterline replacement. The proposed financing would come through a Tennessee Municipal Bond Fund program involving the Public Building Authority of the City of Clarksville.

According to documents in the meeting packet, the loan would run for 20 years, with the county able to draw money as needed during a three-year period. Interest and fees would apply to money actually drawn. The interest rate would be locked for the first five years, not the entire life of the loan.

An illustrative repayment schedule included in the meeting packet uses a 4.81% interest rate. That figure is preliminary, and the financing documents indicate the rate is valid for 45 days. It is not a guaranteed rate for the full 20-year loan.

After five years, the bank could exercise an option to require the loan to be refinanced or repaid, or to offer a new interest rate for another five-year period. If the county did not accept the new rate, the Tennessee Municipal Bond Fund would work to find another lender.

The financing also includes a $6,000 issuance cost on a $1 million loan. The county could not pay off any portion of the loan during its first five years. After that, early repayment would be allowed without a penalty under the proposed terms.

The borrowing would be a general obligation of the Metro government, with water system revenues also available for repayment.

A related agenda item would amend Moore County's debt management policy to address what state regulations classify as heightened-risk debt. The financing materials explain that certain public building authority loans now fall under that classification because of provisions allowing interest-rate changes or other lender options.

Both measures are on Monday's agenda. Even with council approval, the proposed financing would still have to clear the required bank and state reviews before the loan could close.

Oak Barrel seeks approval for April race

Organizers of the Oak Barrel Half Marathon are asking the council to approve street closures for the April 3, 2027, race. The request calls for closing three sides of Lynchburg Square from 4 a.m. until 1 p.m. to accommodate an expected 1,700 runners and additional spectators.

Temporary closures would also affect portions of Main Street, Highways 55 and 50, Old Fayetteville Highway, Goose Branch Road, Lois Ridge Road, Norman Wiseman Road, Tanyard Hill Road, Campbell Lane, and Goodbranch Road.

Organizers say roads would reopen as quickly as possible after runners pass.

The event also puts money back into Moore County. According to the request, the 2026 race generated more than $37,000 for local charities and organizations, while more than $40,000 was spent with local businesses.

Other business Monday includes the proposed surplus of four Sheriff's Department vehicles, committee appointments for fiscal year 2026-27, a building permit report, and an update from the Solid Waste Board.