Sumner County survey: traffic and safety top residents' concerns as comp plan update proceeds

Sumner County Planning Commission staff on April 15 reviewed results from a 13-question public survey conducted to inform the countycomprehensive land-use plan update, which the county has not revised since 2010. The online survey drew 3,973 participants and was launched in mid-January; a single-day surge accounted for roughly 1,700 responses.

Commissioners were told the survey asked where respondents live, how long theyhave lived in Sumner County and to rank the most significant issues facing the county. A planning staff member said traffic conditions and safety were the top-ranked concern overall, followed by rural preservation and loss of local character, the availability of attainable housing for the middle class, flood resilience, financial sustainability and, last, lack of economic opportunities.

The survey grouped city and unincorporated responses and staff said overall priorities did not shift markedly as more responses arrived. "The perceptions and answers that people gave really didn't change very much throughout the life of the survey," a planning staff member said. Staff noted the city sample showed a higher share identifying traffic and safety as the top concern (about 43 percent in the city sample).

In follow-up questions asking what would help address the top concerns, staff said many respondents supported restricting development through zoning in order to preserve rural character. For city respondents, about 41.8 percent ranked additional zoning restrictions as the best way to address traffic and safety; respondents showed more divided views on how to increase economic opportunities.

Presenters flagged floodplain and stormwater management as recurring themes in open-ended comments. Commissioners and staff discussed potential policy responses the comprehensive plan could recommend, including targeted lot-size requirements, additional protections for steep slope and flood-prone areas and creating dedicated industrial or commercial zones to encourage local jobs that could reduce commuter traffic.

Staff told the commission the full dataset and a summary will be emailed to commissioners and posted on the county website. "What we're grabbing is things that are actionable," the planning staff member said, urging commissioners to consider which survey results should translate into specific goals or regulatory changes.

Commission members suggested additional survey questions for future outreach, including reasons people moved to Sumner County and where residents commute for work. The planning staff said those topics could be included in later outreach rounds. The commission did not adopt any new regulations at the April 15 meeting; staff said the survey results will inform ongoing drafting of the comprehensive plan update and future policy proposals.