Tennessee Conservation Easement Law

Last fall, Justin Timberlake purchased an aging golf course just before it was to be sold at auction.  Now, the 303-acre property south of Millington, Tennessee has been transformed to reflect design standards unmatched in Tennessee and in few places elsewhere in the world.
 
In fact, the Mirimichi golf course has become the nation's first to be designated as an "Audubon Classic Sanctuary" by Audubon International.  Its "environmentally sustainable" design is intended to make it as friendly for wildlife and native plants as for golfers.

For more information, an article in the July 24, 2009, edition of the Memphis Commercial Appeal entitled "Course of nature" discusses Timberlake's blend of golf and serenity at Mirimichi. 

tags: Justin Timberlake Audubon

In the debate over the future of Bells Bend, much attention has been focused on the potential economic impact of the proposed May Town Center.  A group of Scottsboro-Bells Bend residents opposed to the May Town Center plan have been working to find an alternative plan which would still produce economic benefit and value to Metro Nashville.
 
These 50-100 residents have hired the Ochs Center, a Chattanooga-based research organization, to come up with a “third vision” for the land use.  A recently released Ochs Center report says the corridor from Bells Bend to Beaman Park could be developed as "a low density residential and agricultural community complemented by environmentally compatible businesses."
 
The report suggests that the area could be preserved by creating a conservation district with conservation easements, designating properties in the National Register of Historic Places, and designating the corridor from Bells Bend to Beaman Park as a “heritage area” through the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
 
These preservation efforts align with a recently released summary report provided to Mayor Karl Dean by the Green Ribbon Committee on Environmental Sustainability, titled “Making Nashville Green.”  Making Nashville Green contains goals, recommendations, and metrics that will support efforts in enhancing and protecting Nashville’s environmental quality and livability.
 
The Ochs Center researchers estimate the area, as proposed by the “third vision,” would draw 200,000 visitors a year and could generate $34.6 million a year in economic impact and provide 395 jobs.

tags: Bells Bend May Town Center

For more information on the proposed legislation behind the "Rural, Agricultural and Natural Resources Act" (RANRA), the Bill Summary, Bill History and a Fiscal Note for SB 2217 can be accessed by visiting the Tennessee General Assembly website.

tags: RANRA

Deputy Governor John Morgan will join Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke and Deputy Commissioner Paul Sloan to present the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards at the Ed Jones Auditorium on the Ellington Agriculture Center campus in Nashville on Friday, June 12, beginning at 1 p.m.

As mentioned in a previous post, The Land Trust for Tennessee will be honored as the recipient of the Natural Heritage award for its efforts in connection with the Lost Cove Project.

For more information about the awards ceremony, please visit http://m.egovtn.org/node/2085.  Information about the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards program can be found at: www.tn.gov/environment/awards/, and additional information about this year’s award recipients can be found at: www.tn.gov/environment/awards/09awds/09winners_1.pdf.
 

tags: The Land Trust for Tennessee

The “Rural, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Act” (RANRA) specifically targets Bells Bend, an 18-square-mile area just west of Nashville encompassed by a U-shaped bend in the Cumberland River.  Bells Bend is the proposed site for the controversial May Town Center, a $4 billion mixed use project that developers say would help Nashville attract the next wave of corporate headquarters and the tax dollars they generate.

If Bells Bend is designated a RANRA community, it would stop the development of May Town Center at the state level.  Such designation would require the support of two-thirds of the area voters, which at this point seems unlikely.

Recently, Sen. Douglas Henry (D-Nashville) and Rep. Gary Moore (D-Nashville) mailed ballots to all of the 184 tax payers in the Bells Bend area.  Of the returned ballots, there were 23 “Yes” votes for RANRA and 76 “No” votes against RANRA.

Additionally, a petition was drawn up by area landowners who oppose RANRA.  According to Bells Bend resident Joe Collier: "We already have land trusts in this state that people can opt into and determine what to do with their land. This legislation isn't necessary."

Some Tennesseans see a vote against RANRA as a vote for the proposed development.  Said T.K. Davis, an associate professor in the College of Architecture and Design at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville: "It really comes down to the question: Which is more important to all of Metro Nashville? Expanding the tax base … or protecting Bells Bend as a unique agrarian landscape that's a natural asset for all of the people in Nashville."

tags: RANRA Bells Bend May Town Center