Judicial Review of Growth Plan

1. Law
2. Tennessee Code
3. Cities and Towns
4. Comprehensive Growth Plan
5. Judicial Review of Growth Plan

1. The affected county, an affected municipality, a resident of such county or an owner of real property located within such county is entitled to judicial review under this section, which shall be the exclusive method for judicial review of the growth plan and its urban growth boundaries, planned growth areas and rural areas. Proceedings for review shall be instituted by filing a petition for review in the chancery court of the affected county. Such petition shall be filed during the sixty-day period after final approval of such urban growth boundaries, planned growth areas and rural areas by the local government planning advisory committee. In accordance with the provisions of the Tennessee rules of civil procedure pertaining to service of process, copies of the petition shall be served upon the local government planning advisory committee, the county and each municipality located or proposing to be located within the county.
2. Judicial review shall be de novo and shall be conducted by the chancery court without a jury. The petitioner shall have the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the urban growth boundaries, planned growth areas and/or rural areas are invalid because the adoption or approval thereof was granted in an arbitrary, capricious, illegal or other manner characterized by abuse of official discretion. The filing of the petition for review does not itself stay effectiveness of the urban growth boundaries, planned growth areas and rural areas; provided, that the court may order a stay upon appropriate terms if it is shown to the satisfaction of the court that any party or the public at large is likely to suffer significant injury if such stay is not granted. If more than one (1) suit is filed within the county, then all such suits shall be consolidated and tried as a single civil action.
3. IF the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the urban growth boundaries, planned growth areas and/or rural areas are invalid because the adoption or approval thereof was granted in an arbitrary, capricious, illegal or other manner characterized by abuse of official discretion;

   THEN an order shall be issued vacating the same, in whole or in part, and remanding the same to the county and the municipalities in order to identify and obtain adoption or approval of urban growth boundaries, planned growth areas and/or rural areas in conformance with the procedures set forth within §6-58-104.

4. Any party to the suit, aggrieved by the ruling of the chancery court, may obtain a review of the final judgment of the chancery court by appeal to the court of appeals.

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