Unionville doesn’t get anything from the County. There haven’t been [road] improvements out there in years.”

Resident Jennifer Potts

Bedford County planning commission recently nixed the rezoning for a potential planned unit development (PUD) subdivision on Longview Road in Unionville.  

Citizens turned out for the meeting to express concerns over this type of potential development at their back door.  

According to Bedford County’s zoning director, Chris White, PUDs are different from regular subdivisions in that every aspect of the development is planned, from the sidewalks to the facades. They also have more amenities like playgrounds. “Bedford County has no PUDs,” said White.  

Representatives from Landmark Homes of Tennessee presented their potential plans to the commission. This particular PUD would have potentially developed around 127 houses over 115 acres, according to Landmark representative Randy Sexton.  

The houses in this plan would have been available in the $350,000 to $500,000 range, while the total project would have cost around $50 million to complete, Sexton advised the planning commission. The PUD could generate an additional $2 million in property tax revenue for the County, he said.  

Bedford County Commissioner Jeff Sweeney, who’s been in construction since 1986, said, “These developers, I feel, are investing in our community—y’all’s community . . . . Yes, it will raise the value of your property. Yes, it will raise the cost of your property taxes.”  

Some questions were raised about the impact of a PUD on schools. Sweeney said the impact will be there regardless of this PUD and that it costs around $11,000 per student in the public school system.  

“So, we try to make values bring revenue to the table, so we don’t have to raise property taxes . . . . I look at this as a long-term investment in our community,” he said.  

Commissioner Linda Yockey said, “One of the reasons we wanted PUDs is so they can blend in with the more rural nature of what’s around it. . . . . I think I speak for a lot of us on the planning commission that we make this as unobtrusive as we can to the country people that are going to be around it.”  

The meeting became heated as many residents on Longview, Coopertown, and Davis roads spoke against the possible development.  

“This is going to impact our community for the rest of our lives, and you’re making money off of a piece of property that the people are having to put up with all the problems,” said resident Eddie Stacy.  

Resident Jennifer Beck said most people who buy these kinds of homes are from out-of-state. “I think when we see this coming into a rural area, it’s going to be a culture shock for some people . . . . It makes me concerned about how those people will react to smelling chicken farms and sludge and the sounds.” 

She also said these phases of development change the rural area. “It only takes 10 years, and what you loved about that area, it’s unrecognizable,” she said.  

Another citizen added, “What job in Bedford County pays for people to afford $300-, $400-, $500,000 houses?”  

Carl Brown said, “You all have a beautiful subdivision; I think it’s out-of-place.” His wife, Jessica, added, “I know we keep talking about raising the taxes and how that’s good because our property values are going to go up. The only thing about that is . . . these people don’t want to sell. They’ve invested their entire life on this.”  

Many residents were also concerned over traffic and whether the roads could handle the increase in traffic flow.  

“Unionville doesn’t get anything from the County. There haven’t been improvements out there in years,” said resident Jennifer Potts. “Our roads suck; they’re breaking off on the sides of the roads. There’s no shoulders, no ditches. And the roads are broken right now where all the dump trucks are running up and down them over on Longview . . . .It’s about time the County step up with the tax money we’re giving.”  

Sexton said in regard to road upkeep Landmark would have to construct and repair and improve the ditches for the PUD.  

The commission voted5-4 against the rezoning from A-1 (agriculture) to R-1 (low density residential.) Planning commission members who were for the rezoning were Linda Yockey, Jay Graham, Reid Farmer and Jeff Sweeney. Those against were Wayne Simons, Alan Gill, Larry Hasty, Brent Stacy and Kennon Threet, who broke the tie, adding that he thought the PUD was out-of-place for the area.