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Monday evening, concerned citizens filled the Hamblen County’s Small Court room waiting to voice their opinions on two rezoning requests up for approval by the county’s planning commission. One died for lack of a motion. The other was tabled to August.

Those attending the meeting attempted to fit in the small room, with many having to wait in the halls as the commission decided whether or not to approve the rezoning request.

The first request was made on behalf of Grant and Linda Helton to change 3693 Brights Pike from an R-1 (residential zone) to an A-1 (agricultural zone) for a camper park campground.

The site, 1.8 acres, currently houses a single family house and a single wide trailer. The site is surrounded by other R-1 properties. The decision to change it to an A-1 could be considered spot zoning.

Spot zoning is the process of singling out a small parcel of land for a use classification totally different from that of the surrounding area for the benefit of the property owner.

However, the City of Morristown Senior Planner Lori Matthews explained in an email sent to the planning commission that there are like-type uses (short term cabins) which directly adjoin the property. These cabins are located within a high density residential district which could allow for a much high residential density than exists now.

As the commission opened the floor, County Commissioner Kyle Walker, who represents the area in which the change would be made, presented the community’s disagreement with the change.

“The change would cause traffic problems on Brights Pike as well as the road on the back of their property with campers coming out of a blind curb onto Brights Pike could cause wrecks,” Walker said. “All of the residents around are R-1 zones, yes it does have cabin areas below it but those cabins are not short term cabins like for staying a night or a couple of days they are for long term residents.

“How are we going to approve a campground in a small area, an area that is a residential area?” he asked.

Walker discussed the ongoing issue with campers around the county with no permits disrupting the surrounding areas.

“We have a big problem with campers in the county and we don’t want this to turn into a spot where people are just putting campers there with no permits and start running water and waste on the ground,” Walker said.

“I think you should deny this and consider it spot zoning and I encourage the commission to deny this.”

After hearing the recommendation from Matthews for the request to be granted, Planning Commission Chairman Charles Anderson asked for a motion to either approve or deny. After several moments of silence no action was made by the board. Therefore the site remains an R-1 zone.

The commission moved on to the next request from MAC Materials, Inc., on behalf of the property owners. The request is to rezone several pieces of property along the north side of Interstate 81 from A-1 (Agriculture zone) to an I-1 (industrial zone) for the development of a stone quarry.

Vulcan Materials, has a stone quarry which is zoned A-1 is located on the south side of Interstate 81 from the site, which ensures that the request is not spot zoning.

Timothy Philip Carlyle, a representative of MAC Materials, discussed the property and the plans for it and the rezoning.

“MAC Materials is trying to rezone two pieces of property at 3895 McClister Road and 3990 Chucky River Road and these two parcels consist of a total of 420 acres of land,” Carlyle said. “It is our intention to use this for a locally owned and operated quarry. We have no intention of selling and we truly plan to operate this ourselves.

“We have a layout proposed and plan only to use McClister Road for our entrance and exit, we don’t plan to use Chucky River Road and the Northside of McClister Road past our entrance. Our layout shows the quarry location that includes a tremendous buffer to all surrounding areas. Even at full capacity there will be a buffer to shield the area.

“Our property is just north of Interstate 81 and due to that being the only separation it should be considered contiguous land currently classed as industrial. Land use plays the biggest factor in spot zoning; Vulcan Material is considered an Industrial Zone.”

Carlyle explained that the community will benefit from the proposed quarry.

“Big contractors, municipalities, building new roads and new infrastructure will have reduced costs and so many will benefit from lower prices,” Carlyle said. “Pricing of gravel greatly impacts concrete and asphalt and with the quarry will lower that cost.”

The commission then allowed representatives from local neighbors to discuss their stance on the rezoning.

Janice Green, a representative for residents on Chucky River Road, explained how having a quarry in their neighborhood would negatively affect their homes.

“I am a half a mile away from Vulcan Materials’ quarry and when they set off their blasts it shakes my home,” she said. “We are passing around pictures of a homeowner’s home, who has damage from those blasts and you’re talking about putting a quarry on our side of the interstate which means we will have double blasting and you can’t tell me that the buffer zone will quiet that any.

“We have several half a million dollar homes in our neighborhood and having a quarry there will devalue our homes. Who will want to buy a home that has blasting going on regularly that rattles your foundation? We have invested thousands in our homes and it’s not fair to us for that money to go down the drain.”

Mark Bullington, a representative for residents on McClister Road, discussed the fear community members have for the unknown when it comes to the property.

“Everyone on McClister Road does not welcome the rezoning,” he said. “Our concern comes for safety and out of fear. Mr. Carlyle said that whatever he does with the property is his business and that right, but changing the zone to industrial opens the door for so many possibilities. He said he wants to build a quarry but what if that doesn’t work out, and he decides to build a chemical plant.”

After hearing the representatives speak, planning commission member Thomas Doty made a motion to table the vote at next month’s meeting to research more about the property. The motion passed and the planning commission will make a decision to rezone the property and its August meeting.