Sumner County is looking for a land-planning firm to update the document that guides zoning and development decisions across the county, including Hendersonville.
The county posted a request for qualifications seeking consultants to update the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, a policy blueprint first approved in 2013. Proposals are due by 1 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Sumner County Finance Department, 355 N. Belvedere Drive, Room 302, in Gallatin.
The hired firm will analyze existing land use, zoning and growth data, produce updated maps and narrative text, and run public meetings where residents can weigh in. The RFQ describes those sessions as "participatory meetings or charrettes" rather than staff-directed presentations. The county expects the work finished by January 2028.
The update has been a priority for the Sumner County Regional Planning Commission. At the commission's April 21 meeting, Vice Chairman Chrissi Smith Miller pointed to the Crutcher Station subdivision as a cautionary example.
Miller said the commission's hands were tied on that development's final plat. "Unless you guys want entire Sumner County looking like this, you need to really work on that plan," she said.
Chairman David Klein said at the same meeting that the 2035 plan was approved by the Planning Commission in 2013 but never implemented. Klein said the commission had responded to residents' requests to manage growth over the past three and a half years and called the updated plan a tool to further control growth.
Marshall Boyd, director of planning and engineering, and County Planner Sydny Simpson are listed as project contacts on the RFQ. Firms with questions must submit them by Nov. 9; the county will post answers on its website Nov. 10.
The county will score proposals on five criteria. Specialized experience with comprehensive land-use plans, staff qualifications and experience with comparable-size projects each carry 25%. Familiarity with the type of problems involved counts for 15%, and knowledge of local conditions for 10%. A consultant evaluation committee may conduct interviews but can also choose a firm based on written submissions alone.
Payment will be on a time-and-materials basis.
The RFQ does not list a budget for the project.
Proposals must be physically delivered. The county will not accept electronic submissions. Firms should mail or deliver three hard copies and a PDF on a USB drive to the Finance Department by the Nov. 17 deadline.
