The Land Use Plan.

The Wilson County Master Land Use Plan, known as Plan Wilson, is a countywide policy document that sets goals, objectives, and policies for growth and development over the next 20 to 30 years. It lays out a vision for community preferences about future growth and a strategy for achieving them.

In practical terms, the plan will:

• Guide land development decisions and infrastructure investments.
• Identify which areas are suitable for residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial development.
• Identify areas that should be preserved and conserved.

The current plan, the Gateway Land Use Master Plan, was adopted by the Planning Commission in 2006. It focused on eight gateways into the county and the most appropriate development pattern at each one. Twenty years and tens of thousands of residents later, it is being replaced.

This is the single most important thing to understand: the plan is not a law. It does not have the authority of regulation. It is a general policy framework that guides the county's decisions during the development review process.

Why care about the plan, then? Because zoning decisions are supposed to follow it. When a rezoning request comes up, "is it consistent with the plan" is a central question. A strong, specific plan gives residents and officials something concrete to point to. A vague one leaves every fight to be re-fought parcel by parcel.

Since 2010, Wilson County has added more than 280 people every month, a 30 percent increase in population. By 2045, more than 250,000 people are expected to live here. The 2006 plan was written for a different county.

The update began in 2022, paused while the county and the cities of Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, and Watertown revised their urban growth boundaries, and resumed with a full round of public engagement in 2024 and 2025. The draft plan is now published and headed for adoption.

Four maps do most of the work in any land use conversation. Knowing the difference saves a lot of confusion:

Can the county raise impact fees to slow growth? Wilson County levies an Adequate Facilities Tax on new development, its version of an impact fee. It helps fund the capital projects that growth requires, but its purpose is to mitigate growth's impact, not to deter development.

What can actually soften growth's impact on schools, roads, and quality of life? The primary tools are regulatory: the zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations. The plan will recommend policies and actions for the county to consider as it works to manage those impacts.

What about farmland? The plan can support farmland preservation by identifying policies, zoning tools, and options like conservation easements that balance growth with agriculture. Farm voices in the process, and on the boards that implement it, matter.

Does this include affordable housing? The plan will provide recommendations to county officials on actions and policies that could support the development of affordable housing.

Will roads catch up with traffic? New roadways are designed with future capacity in mind, but road building follows funding cycles and growth rarely waits. The plan's job is to line up land use decisions with infrastructure investment instead of letting them happen separately.

• Attend the final hearing on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Check the county calendar for time and location details.
• Read the draft plan at planwilson.org/draftplan.
• Share your thoughts through the survey and sign-up at planwilson.org, or by email at info@planwilson.org.
• Get oriented first with how the county works, including how the Planning Commission and County Commission divide this work.