Sewanee Leases

Professor's dog (party animal Moe) dressed up for an important event...

Pink Flamingos and a ZEBRA on campus.

What's so weird about chickens??? Sewanee: the University of the South is comprised of 13,000, primarily forested, acres of land which we call the "domain". It is in middle Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau about 2000 feet above sea level. There are countless bluff views, waterfalls, caves and trails. The university has roughly 1600 students and the town has maybe 2000 residents. The campus, which originated just before the civil war, has many sandstone buildings of Gothic architecture and is covered with large old growth trees. It's just beautiful.

The town is called Sewanee and the university owns all the land. Consequently, we own our homes, but lease the land. There is a Lease Committee which among other things, approves the removal of trees, construction of home improvements, colors, fences, sheds, signs, rentals etc. Similar to a historic district or homeowners association, when homeowners want to make a change, they are required to go through a committee. The lease superintendent must field calls relating to dogs, trash, cars, shrubs, yard maintenance, noise, businesses, neighbor disputes...

I'm told that the process with the lease committee can be tedious and frustrating. I don't doubt that, but have sympathy for both sides. I'm sure that as a result of my effort to officially legalize backyard chickens - I have created many hours of unforeseen work and controversy. I hope some of it has been amusing for those in the middle and I never intended to be a problem. All I wanted was a few unobtrusive pets who would be great for me, my family, our lifestyle and yard. Fortunately, I expect that the outcome will be clear rules that will be comfortable and beneficial to all residents of this very special town.