The Development Services Department consists of three divisions: Planning, Engineering and Construction Codes. The department's mission statement is to plan and manage the town's growth and development so that it occurs in an orderly and economical fashion, and in such a manner that the town's quality of life is preserved and sustained.

500 Poplar View Pkwy
Collierville, TN 38017

Town Hall Hours:
M-F 8am-5pm

Planning Philosophy Statement

Collierville residents have a vision of what they want Collierville to be today and in the future. They want the place they call home to be unique, safe, attractive, and charming with upscale housing and natural areas. Collierville residents also want the place they call home to offer job opportunities, convenient shopping, and recreational activities. The purpose of planning is to strike a balance between these two somewhat contradictory goals (aesthetics and growth) while striving to achieve the overall vision for Collierville.

Planners develop individual codes, ordinances, design guidelines, and policies that are intended to alleviate the potential negative effects that often come with growth. When considered in isolation, any one of these regulations can seem nit-picky, but when considered altogether, the regulations form a master plan designed to shape Collierville’s desired future. For example, when viewed individually, one oversized sign seems insignificant, but that one can lead to five or ten oversized signs throughout the town, which would change the character of Collierville and move the town one step further away from the overall vision for the town.

The regulations can seem burdensome to individual developers, but the benefits to Collierville residents as a whole far outweigh the struggles associated with the development process. The most obvious benefits are the prevention of the visual blight that can be created by neon signs, glaring gas station lights, or “seas of asphalt”. Planning also saves and compensates for lost trees, waterways, and historic buildings and helps prevent overcrowding land, overburdening public infrastructure such as water, sewer, and roads, and overtaxing fire and police services. Even more so, planning prevents incompatible land uses, such as a liquor store being located next to a school.

So why are Collierville’s regulations so tough? Because Collierville residents have a vision of what they want Collierville to be. A set of regulations has been developed with the intent of achieving that vision. Each sign, each fence, each parking lot, and each building either moves Collierville closer to or further away from the desired state. Individually, the regulations may seem tough, but cumulatively, they can bring about Collierville residents’ aspirations of what they want and expect their hometown to be.