Location:

Gallatin, Tennessee

Status: 

Completed Spring 2017

Size:

approximately 24,000 acres

Client:

Sumner County, Tennessee

Shop Team:

James Kennon
Daniel Alderman
John Hadley
Matthew Edwards

Project Collaborators:

Project Manager:
The Walker Collaborative
Transportation Consultants:
RPM Transportation Consultants
Civil Engineer:
Civil Site Design
Economic Development:
Randall Gross

The Long Hollow Pike corridor presented a unique challenge from a planning perspective; as it became clear from early interest group discussion that the corridor, a patch of unincorporated land sandwiched among several developing towns, is under threat of losing its rural character.  Ultimately we sought smart growth for rural development.  The team’s top priority for future expansion was to avoid the amorphous, sprawling suburbs that have taken shape adjacent to the corridor. The guiding principle of the Long Hollow Area Plan became the Preservation of Open Space.

The principle of preserving open space led to the identification of two or three key “centers,” around which mixed-use amenities can develop.  These centers were based on a proximity to existing non-residential properties, such as schools and churches.  The team felt that the key to smart growth in this community was to maintain a small, walkable Main Street environment within this rural landscape, so that existing residents do not lose the quiet community they value.

The second scale of place making involves residential developments on purchased farmland.  To avoid the typical build-out scenario of one-acre lot subdivisions, the planning team explored a scenario that condenses the personal property to quarter-acre lots, concentrated towards the center, and all lots abut expanses of open spaces.  The team assumed a constant rate of economic growth from past years to forecast an estimated population growth along the Long Hollow area, and establish a series of “place types” to accommodate that community’s needs.

This approach of preserving open space stands to connect the surrounding towns in such a way that protects existing farmland and pervious area; but it also offers the opportunity to give residents a better path forward, with denser communities which can enjoy a more natural landscape, and are less dependent on vehicles and highways for daily life.