I served on the equivalent of the Sussex County Board of Adjustment for over seven years in the fastest-growing town in Tennessee. I am intimately familiar with the planning and zoning process. Recently, residents who live adjacent to the proposed Cardinal Grove subdivision testified at a recent planning and zoning commission public hearing that their properties flooded following the logging of trees from the as-yet-unapproved subdivision site. The response by the chairman of the P&Z, Mr. Bob Wheatley, was, “A developer cannot discharge water onto your property. I hope your situation is only temporary.”
It is not the responsibility of the P&Z commission to dispense “hope”; it is their responsibility to ensure that the developer’s plan for stormwater management ensures that flooding is contained. Mr. Wheatley’s response at least infers that he was not familiar with the stormwater management plan for the proposed subdivision. Perhaps the pace of development in Sussex County is outpacing the ability of the P&Z commission to meet their responsibilities.
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