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County officials prepare for industrial growth

By DAVID MELSON - dmelson@t-g.com
Posted 10/2/21

While Bedford County isn’t getting industrial development on a massive scale, growth prospects are looking bright.

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County officials prepare for industrial growth

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While Bedford County isn’t getting industrial development on the scale of the massive Ford electric truck plant and related battery plants announced earlier this week for west Tennessee and Kentucky, growth prospects are looking bright.  

Spinoff plants for component suppliers are sure to be looking at areas near the Stanton, Tennessee facility — and Shelbyville, with its soon-to-be-fortified industrial park and strengthened recruitment efforts, is primed and ready for action.  

“You’re going to see a lot of results in the next few weeks,” County Commissioner Greg Vick, one of the leaders in industrial recruitment efforts locally, said this week.  

County Commissioner Don Gallagher said prospects for the area are becoming “exciting” when a commission committee was told earlier this week the state has agreed to fund $4 million for a complete road system within the newly-expanded 231 North Industrial Park. No county money will be required.  

Educational help  

The upcoming relocation of Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville to an all-new campus within the industrial park is also a strong drawing point for industries.  

County commissioners and TCAT officials have said new pro- grams can be initiated at the school to fill incoming industries’ specific needs upon request. This is similar to the West Tennessee truck and battery plant, where state officials have announced a new TCAT campus will be built within the com plex. TCAT facilities, formerly known as “vocational schools,” are located throughout the state.  

“The city and county are working together for the first time in years,” Vick said. “And Shane Hooper is doing a fantastic job.” Hooper is the joint city-county economic director. His position is funded by both entities.  

Vick and Bedford County Planning Director Chris White emphasize the importance of planning and managing growth while protecting local residents’ and Bedford County’s way of life.  

“Planning tools are good as long as you use them,” White said.  

The county has hired Volkert Inc. of Franklin to help in planning infrastructure improvements, according to White.  

Volkert describes itself on its website: “We are a professional services firm committed to expanding, enhancing, and preserving the built environment. We are proud to serve our valued clients by helping them solve problems and meet the transportation, energy, program management, and urban infrastructure needs in their communities.”  

A series of public hearings will be announced soon, Vick said.  

Local residents will be encouraged to describe “what they would like to see” involving development. County officials have placed an emphasis on strengthening the infra- structure around potential industrial areas in recent years.  

Their goal is to ensure adequate electric, natural gas, and water supplies and strong broadband Internet service is available.  

The process of balancing growth and agricultural needs in Bedford County is described as a “delicate minuet” by Vick.  

Protecting areas  

“We want to protect areas so we don’t have overwhelming growth,” Vick said. “We want to protect the green belt, encourage but manage growth. It’s hard to explain to the public.”  

White believes “overlay districts” are tools that can help growth management.  

An example is the Shelbyville Gateway Overlay District, comprising U.S. 231 North and the main northern entrance to Shelbyville where high growth is anticipated. Industries and businesses are anticipated for that area.  

In the other direction — both literally and in development terms — is the Highway 82 Overlay District. The area covers strongly-rural southeastern Bedford County toward the Raus area.  

It’s a scenic, relatively-unpopulated area and County Commissioner Linda Yockey, in particular, is working to keep it that way.  

Yockey is a strong proponent of the Scenic Byways program, a federal designation allowing federal grants to be given to those areas. A grant submission has been made for highways including U.S. 41A South.  

Officials were initially looking at Williamson County for the byways program, Yockey said, but officials in that highly growth-focused area turned down the offer so the plans were moved eastward, “It’s challenging to work through the complexities,” Vick said. “We need commercial, business and residential growth. It’s a delicate balance...if we’re not managing growth it will manage us.”  

And Vick has one more important caveat: “We can’t put all the burden on taxpayers.”