Coffee County Residents Increasingly Split Over Land Development

Image Credit: coffee.tennessee.edu

The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –

As Tennessee continues to experience an ever-increasing influx of new residents from California and the North, more debates are happening in communities across the state regarding how to properly regulate the conversion of farmland into developed subdivisions or commercial property.

But one county earmarked to become the next “boomtown” seems to be at a relative stalemate as residents and officials appear to be torn on how to best manage its expansion while still preserving agricultural functions and heritage.

Deeply conservative Coffee County, nestled between Nashville, Chattanooga, and Huntsville, Alabama, is known for hosting the annual Bonnaroo music festival and boasts a population of just over 60,000 people. But the tight-knit rural community is straining under social tensions as farmland is rapidly being developed into subdivisions to create housing for a drastically increasing population.

In March, county officials took strong action against development, instituting a three-month moratorium on all large subdivision projects in areas zoned for agriculture. When that expired, officials then passed an ordinance declaring property owners in agricultural areas could only sell land in a minimum of 5-acre-lot increments, which also effectively halts large subdivisions in those areas.

Many multigenerational farmers in the area believe the moratorium and restrictions serve as a preservation mechanism, helping to conserve what their families have built over decades or even centuries.

Shawn Jones, whose family has farmed in the county since the 1800s, is staunchly opposed to a proposed subdivision near his property and said, “This land here, I’m attached to it 100%. I don’t know how much of my family’s blood, sweat, and tears are in this land.”

On the flip side, other long-entrenched landowners and farmers argue the restrictions encroach on their landowner rights or are a product of government overregulation, stating their land is more valuable being sold to developers than for agricultural purposes and see the ability to sell off however much they choose as retirement security.

Still other residents who moved from outside the county into a subdivision feel that the development is beneficial, as the lower costs of living in the county factored heavily into their relocating to the area. Facebook groups have been launched in support of both sides, rival groups have hired attorneys, and county commission and planning meetings have become tense, drawing heated crowds. 

Some are also attributing the increased divide to the mysterious death of pro-growth County Mayor Judd Matheny, who was found dead in the backseat of his car in April of 2024. A medical examiner ruled Matheny’s death accidental after his autopsy reportedly found a mixture of drugs in his system, including cocaine and kratom. 

After taking over the case and confiscating evidence the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation quietly closed the investigation. While some found the death suspicious and questioned the investigation’s thoroughness, others felt it was “karma” for pushing too much growth too fast.

Matheny was a former state representative, former local GOP chairman, and served as Coffee County’s mayor from 2022 until his death at 53-years-old. He strongly pushed for growth and development, championing a state-owned 1,800-acre industrial mega site and advocating to overhaul land-use rules, including reducing areas deemed agricultural. He believed that more residents and housing would increase revenue and jobs, ultimately improving everything from government operations to local dining options.

In 2023, under the guise that they “lacked proper training”, he even tried to purge five of the seven members of the county’s Planning Commission who stood against Matheney’s “rubber stamp for development” but was thwarted by the county commission and residents on both sides of the argument who were incensed over the mayor’s bold presumptions.

Though they were divided on the development issue before Matheny’s death, and remain so now, many Coffee County residents are under the impression that “all hell broke loose” after the mayor’s passing, setting speculations swirling and tensions mounting. Developers also feel the area is in a “state of limbo” and that lifting any restrictions will require a “change of administration” during next year’s county elections, though construction still abounds and for-sale signs are a common sight. 

According to the American Farmland Trust’s Farms Under Threat 2040 report, Tennessee is projected to lose over 1 million acres of farmland and over 14,000 jobs by 2040 under current development policies and laws.

They also rank Tennessee as third in the nation for projected farmland conversion between 2016-2040 and estimate that between 2017-2023 one average sized (approximately 170 acres) Tennessee farm was converted or compromised every 17 hours.

About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.