Planning Commission, Tracked
What's moving through the Planning Commission
Growth decisions in Bedford County start here — in a fourth-Tuesday meeting most people never see, documented in agenda files most people never open. This page tracks every item, in plain language, with the official source beside it. No positions taken; nothing left buried.
Moratorium on large-scale data centers
Resolution being draftedCounty staff are drafting a moratorium resolution that would pause large-scale data center development. The agenda states drafting was not complete in July; it is planned for the commission's Rules and Legislative Committee in August.
What it affects: If adopted, this would put Bedford County among the Tennessee communities regulating data-center siting — a live statewide issue.
Rewrite of subdivision rules: Simple / Minor / Major
Staff proposal on the table — public hearing required before adoptionStaff propose new definitions: a 'Simple' subdivision would drop from five lots to three; a new 'Minor' class (4–6 lots) gets a streamlined path; more than six lots becomes 'Major' with full review. A 12-month rule would stop landowners from stacking repeated small splits from the same parcel to avoid review.
What it affects: This changes how much land division can happen without full Planning Commission review — the central lever on rural growth.
Minimum road width for major subdivisions
Recommendation reached: 18 feetThe planning director and Road Superintendent Mark Clanton landed on eighteen feet as the recommended minimum width for a county road serving a proposed major subdivision.
What it affects: Determines which existing county roads can legally carry new large subdivisions.
Comprehensive Plan — first draft under review
Pages 34–62 reviewed July 28; technical corrections in progressThe commission is working through the county's draft Comprehensive Plan section by section, with member technical corrections being folded into the draft.
What it affects: The Comprehensive Plan becomes the framework future zoning decisions cite.
Driveway permit regulations
Staff still draftingA new driveway-permit section of the subdivision regulations is in staff development.
Items transcribed from the Bedford County Planning Commission agenda, July 28, 2026 (official), retrieved 2026-08-01. The Planning Commission publishes no minutes online, so outcomes are confirmed from meeting video and subsequent agendas. Every statement above restates the agenda's own language in plain terms — how Open Bedford works.
Attend & Speak
The Planning Commission meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM, Suite 200 of the historic courthouse — with a public comment period on the agenda. Proposed subdivision-rule changes require a public hearing before adoption; that hearing is where residents get a formal voice.