Nashville Eye, The Tennessean
May 9, 2001

William W. Wade, Ph. D.
Energy & Water Economics
Columbia TN 38401

Spring Hill Land Use Planning Needs a Vision

Manufacturing and Tourism are the new backbone of Maury County—Saturn and Antebellum heritage, the driving force. These two vital sectors have grown up together as Saturn brought awareness of Maury County’s historic and architectural wonders to the rest of the country.

Each of these sectors has to be nurtured—or the Golden Goose may end up on some shortsighted developer’s dinner table leaving bleached bones for the rest of us. Spring Hill’s open, rolling landscape and culturally rich history is one tourism Golden Goose to nurture and harvest.

Disinterested leaders must be charged with planning a Spring Hill future with the Public Good foremost in mind. A great deal more is at stake to Maury County and its tourism future than local officials in Spring Hill acknowledge. Properly nurtured and enhanced, tourists will come and spend money in Spring Hill’s stores, restaurants, and hotel[s].

Spring Hill’s land use planning could encourage Tourism -- not development of core battlefield open space. An economic study likely would show that the benefits to the public of preserving Spring Hill’s historic land overshadows the private gain to local landowners for sale of the land. Industrial development can be sited away from core tourism attributes -- the open space on Spring Hill’s historic lands. This is a “no-brainer” -- for those of us who do not own the land.

In an era of planning, shall Spring Hill’s historic landscape be lost with no more thought than went into Franklin’s two battle losses?

Anybody standing on Winstead Hill gazing at the commercially ravaged vista to the Carter House in Franklin can ponder the foolish loss of a few square miles of exceedingly important historic land to a farm implement dealer, driving range, pizza parlor and florist. The development of the Franklin Battlefield decades ago came before planning and zoning for the future were in people’s awareness. The second Battle of Franklin was lost with no more thought than went into General Hood’s decision process. The third battle of Spring Hill should be fought with more "big picture" awareness and disinterested research than local interested parties can be expected to bring to the process.

Imagine the educational dividends and the economic returns to Williamson County if someone of vision could have foreseen the benefits of preserving the Franklin Battlefield. Think of Chickamauga’s economic importance to Chattanooga in contrast.

Local “Spin Doctors” miss the point in disputing the magnitude of the battle that occurred in Spring Hill just north of Rippavilla on November 29, 1864. General Hood’s exhausted Army of Tennessee camped on that land the evening of the 29th. Federal General Schofield’s Army slipped through Spring Hill within yards of sleeping Confederates. This so-called Mystery of Spring Hill led to the famous breakfast confrontation between Hood and his Generals at Rippavilla. Thousands who camped in Spring Hill marched to their death at Franklin that afternoon. The value of the land doesn't hinge on the size of the battle; the value of the land is links to the whole story of what went on in Spring Hill in 1864 and earlier.

Beyond the events of November, 1864, the Civil War story of Spring Hill is rich in anecdotes and architectural features enhanced by the rolling land: General Van Dorn’s adventures with local bell Jessie Peters, which led to his death at the Cheairs home; General Hood’s dinner party at Oaklawn. People are eager to visit Spring Hill and see these homes in context with this verdant, historic landscape. Saturn has taken great care to preserve vistas, environmental values, and historic properties. Will the next plant do as well?

Commercial and industrial development on Spring Hill’s Highway 31 corridor does not enhance its economic value to Maury County. Historically valuable lands can be preserved and enhanced to nurture the tourism industry and bring money to the county to benefit many in the hospitality sector. Culturally less important land—not in the center of Spring Hill’s heritage—is abundant to support industrial parks elsewhere, notably on the Saturn Parkway corridor.

Economic development is complicated—if you aren’t the owner of the land or the project. Think of the burden on Rutherford County’s school and public infrastructure brought by willy-nilly industrial park development. New jobs aren’t enough to “sell it to the public.” The employment and fiscal impacts of new industry have to be balanced against the public costs. Social, economic and cultural values forgone at the expense of development need to be reckoned in the equation. Shepherding this process requires people of vision, who can plan for alternative futures in a disinterested framework. The process must provide for the best interests of all interested parties -- not just the landowners—including future generations.