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More residential plans are on the horizon for the City of Morristown.

During its meeting on Tuesday the Morristown Regional Planning Commission approved a request from Guzman Construction to amend a previously approved site plan for a Mixed Unit Development located at the intersection of Cherokee Drive and Walters Drive.

The 32-plus acre parcel was originally subdivided into four lots in 1998 with an assisted living facility, now known as Dewitt Place, being built in 2000. Plans were approved in 2009 for a multiuse development to consist of medical offices, townhouse residential and commercial retail; however, construction never began.

The property has changed ownership, and the new owners plan to build to the original site plan – with one change on Lot No. 2, from the initially proposed medical office to a 24-unit, three-story apartment complex. The lot is located north of the Dewitt facility.

Morristown Planning Department staff recommended approval, as the plans meet the newly adopted MUD regulations which require a minimum of 20 percent open space and a 50-foot vegetative perimeter against adjoining residential housing to include canopy and understory trees.

MRPC members voted to approve the annexation of a portion of a parcel into the corporate limits of Morristown by applicant Sandip Patel on behalf of property owner John Bell. The approximate 10 acres are located between Merchants Green Boulevard and South Bellwood Road.

Patel is requesting a High Density Residential District (R-3) zoning designation in order to place a multi-family development. The annexation approval would result in a “donut hole” as there will be an adjacent parcel not within the City limits but surrounded completely by the city. Morristown Utilities owns the parcel in question and has agreed to request for annexation also with the R-3 zoning as it does allow public utilities as a use permitted outright. A plan of services for the Bell property was also approved by the MRPC to include: police, fire, water, sanitary sewer and electrical, along with other city services.

MRPC voted to approve a preliminary subdivision plat approval for the redevelopment of the former Millstone Golf Club, located at the end of Alpha Valley Home Road, southeast of the Morristown Reginal Airport. The property, owned by Safe Storage, was rezoned from Agriculture to (R-3) in the spring of 2022.

The Phase I plan shows proposed construction of four new public streets with 100 residential lots and dedicated common areas which will serve as stormwater detention management areas. Average lot sizes range from 7,300 to 11,000 square feet, all of which exceed the city’s minimum lot size requirements for R-3 (5,500 square feet). Access to the first phase of this development will be from Howell Road and Alpha Valley Home Road.

A request was approved for a preliminary plat regarding a five-lot subdivision located off of Sublett Road in the City’s Urban Growth Boundary Area, just northwest of the East Tennessee Progress Center.

The 97-acre parcel is being divided into four lots, four of which will be developed into single family residential houses, with square feet ranging from 7,666 to 9,171. The remaining lot is 96 acres.

Property owners Nick Lakins, Derek Wolfe and Michael Rouse also requested annexation for Lots 1-4, which was approved by the MRPC. The frontage lots will be zoned R-2 (Medium Density Residential). Morristown Utilities will be the sanitary sewer service provider with Witt Utilities providing water service to the small subdivision.

A recent application to the Hamblen County Planning Commission for a new cell tower resulted in staff and Hamblen County Planning Commission looking in detail into the “Wireless Telecommunication Towers and Antenna” chapter of the zoning ordinance.

It was determined that many of these regulations are beyond the technical training of staff to analyze and determine whether the applicant meets the guidelines. Additionally, much of the technical aspects of cell towers are heavily governed and regulated by the FTA and FAA during the federal government approval process.

The county planning commission directed staff to present a text amendment to this chapter. It was determined that there was a need to simplify the regulations, streamline the process, and establish regulations that cover all the primary concerns regarding· site location of the towers while promoting concise standards that are easily understood.

With the help of the county planning commission during workshops, staff reviewed codes from other counties in the region to help craft the revised language. The county planning commission approved changes at its June meeting.

The text amendment was approved by the MRPC and will be forwarded to the Hamblen County Commission for a vote by that body.