Although Rutherford County, in central Tennessee, is the fastest growing county in the state, much of the public and many people charged with creating its Comprehensive Plan didn’t have a firm grasp on key matters of zoning. To address this knowledge gap, the Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS® hosted an informative roundtable last September, the day before it presented NAR’s Planning & Zoning class for its members. The event brought elected officials and the public together to explore local growth challenges and opportunities; a Smart Growth Grant from the REALTOR® Party helped make it possible.
AE Ashley Sugar explains that the goal of the Housing & Zoning Roundtable was to get elected officials at various levels to engage in dialogue with REALTORS® and other local stakeholders on the subject of increasing the county’s housing options; it was also an attempt to diffuse some prickly political tension that had been getting in the way of constructive communication. The event was, she reports, a tremendous success: “Over seventy people attended, and the panel included a state legislator, a mayor, three county commissioners, one city council member who is also a REALTOR®, and two homebuilders.” Just getting the officials in the room was a triumph, she says, as political relations within the community had been so strained. “But they loved it, and clearly appreciated the high-profile public platform with an influential group like the REALTORS® – especially those who were running for re-election.”
Felita Smotherman, the association’s 2024 President, presided over the program, posing questions the panelists had received in advance about the housing shortage, zoning and planning, and infrastructure. From “How do impact fees affect development?” to “What do you think of alternative wastewater systems?” to “Adaptive reuse is becoming more popular; are there places in our community that could benefit from this practice?” to “What steps can we take today to ensure we have the proper infrastructure for the future as our region grows and expands?” – the questions and the answers were thought-provoking and revelatory. “The dialogue was robust and productive, and I think the relaxed roundtable format really helped,” notes Sugar.
The following day, more than fifty people attended the ‘Planning & Zoning: Advocating for Your Community’s Future’ course, developed by NAR and taught by a REALTOR member with a background in new home construction. “More than ever, as we move to greater housing growth and development, this content is so important,” says Sugar, “especially as communities encounter entrenched NIMBYism and seek to increase investment in infrastructure. Rutherford County is still in the process of finalizing its Comprehensive Plan, but a lot of folks didn’t understand the nitty gritty of zoning issues, and some of these can be contentious. The course provided so many Rutherford County residents and real estate professionals with a baseline understanding of growth issues and knowledge of the terminology that gets thrown around. In a single day, it brought everyone onto the same page.”
Although the roundtable was nearly a year ago, Sugar and her colleagues still discuss it as a model. “Folks are still reflecting on how successful it was in bringing people together at a fraught time over contested issues. And while we can’t offer the Planning & Zoning course every year, we are looking into replicating the roundtable event in two more of the larger counties we represent. It was that effective!”
To learn more about how the Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS® is smoothing the path for needed housing development in its region, contact AE Ashley Sugar, at ashley@mtar.org or 209.996.0936. Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS® Uses Smart Growth Grant to Host Community Roundtable on Housing and Zoning
August 2025
Although Rutherford County, in central Tennessee, is the fastest growing county in the state, much of the public and many people charged with creating its Comprehensive Plan didn’t have a firm grasp on key matters of zoning. To address this knowledge gap, the Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS® hosted an informative roundtable last September, the day before it presented NAR’s Planning & Zoning class for its members. The event brought elected officials and the public together to explore local growth challenges and opportunities; a Smart Growth Grant from the REALTOR® Party helped make it possible.
AE Ashley Sugar explains that the goal of the Housing & Zoning Roundtable was to get elected officials at various levels to engage in dialogue with REALTORS® and other local stakeholders on the subject of increasing the county’s housing options; it was also an attempt to diffuse some prickly political tension that had been getting in the way of constructive communication. The event was, she reports, a tremendous success: “Over seventy people attended, and the panel included a state legislator, a mayor, three county commissioners, one city council member who is also a REALTOR®, and two homebuilders.” Just getting the officials in the room was a triumph, she says, as political relations within the community had been so strained. “But they loved it, and clearly appreciated the high-profile public platform with an influential group like the REALTORS® – especially those who were running for re-election.”
Felita Smotherman, the association’s 2024 President, presided over the program, posing questions the panelists had received in advance about the housing shortage, zoning and planning, and infrastructure. From “How do impact fees affect development?” to “What do you think of alternative wastewater systems?” to “Adaptive reuse is becoming more popular; are there places in our community that could benefit from this practice?” to “What steps can we take today to ensure we have the proper infrastructure for the future as our region grows and expands?” – the questions and the answers were thought-provoking and revelatory. “The dialogue was robust and productive, and I think the relaxed roundtable format really helped,” notes Sugar.
The following day, more than fifty people attended the ‘Planning & Zoning: Advocating for Your Community’s Future’ course, developed by NAR and taught by a REALTOR member with a background in new home construction. “More than ever, as we move to greater housing growth and development, this content is so important,” says Sugar, “especially as communities encounter entrenched NIMBYism and seek to increase investment in infrastructure. Rutherford County is still in the process of finalizing its Comprehensive Plan, but a lot of folks didn’t understand the nitty gritty of zoning issues, and some of these can be contentious. The course provided so many Rutherford County residents and real estate professionals with a baseline understanding of growth issues and knowledge of the terminology that gets thrown around. In a single day, it brought everyone onto the same page.”
Although the roundtable was nearly a year ago, Sugar and her colleagues still discuss it as a model. “Folks are still reflecting on how successful it was in bringing people together at a fraught time over contested issues. And while we can’t offer the Planning & Zoning course every year, we are looking into replicating the roundtable event in two more of the larger counties we represent. It was that effective!”
To learn more about how the Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS® is smoothing the path for needed housing development in its region, contact AE Ashley Sugar, at ashley@mtar.org or 209.996.0936.
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