The Hamblen County Commission Public Services Committee met last Monday after the Jail Study and Finance Committees.
The main topic was a request to rezone property on Noe's Chapel Road from agricultural to commercial. The Owner was present and stated that he intends to work on and rebuild old cars in a car restoration business.
Although the land is in the county, it is also in the city's "urban growth area"---an area previously designated for possible "growth" and future annexation by the City.
As part of the city's urban growth area, the Morristown Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) heard the rezoning request first and recommended that the rezoning be denied by the county commission which had the final say.
At the start of the meeting, Public Services Chairman Herbert Harville made a motion to accept the MRPC's recommendation and deny the rezoning. Harville's motion did not receive a second, and extended discussion began.
According to the owner, the MRPC denied the request over concerns about traffic.
The owner pointed out that the property had previously been the site of a home-based plumbing business (Kilgore Plumbing) with numerous employees coming in an out. He added that traffic for his proposed car restoration business would be minimal since he expects to be working on only about four or five cars at any one time.
He added that the cars would be kept inside a building.
Commissioner Nancy Phillips made the motion to recommend that the full commission rezone the property. Commissioner Howard Shipley seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously out of the Committee. The rezoning will be voted on by the full Commission this Thursday, November 15.
