Development Control

Blount County Commissioners Nick Bright and Steve Mikels are planning to introduce a new resolution intended to address concerns about the rapid development in Blount County.

“We’ve seen a big influx of growth in Blount County recently and there have been several constituents reaching out to see what we can do,” Bright said.

“We’re not trying to just stop building or development in Blount County,” Mikels told The Daily Times. “This is a resolution basically to say ‘hold up a minute, how is all of this growth going to affect things.’”

The resolution will seek to form an ad hoc committee to review zoning regulations in Blount County.

During a heated meeting of the Blount County Planning Commission last week, where several residents voiced opposition to the development of a new subdivision, Building Director Thomas Lloyd revealed the current zoning regulations were set back in 2000.

“It’s been sometime since zoning regulations have been addressed and basically we are seeking to create an ad hoc committee to address the zoning regulations in the county,” Bright explained.

In order to give the proposed ad hoc committee time to reassess the zoning regulations, the resolution includes a four-home moratorium for future developments in Blount County.

“The moratorium would be no more than four houses in a year for any contractor or developer,” Bright said. “It’s a temporary fix until the zoning regulations can be addressed.”

Bright and Mikels explained that evaluating these zoning regulations is something they’ve considered for a while.

“This is something that’s been near and dear to my heart for a long time,” Bright said.

For Mikels, last week’s Planning Commission meeting — which became so contentious that Mikels actually walked out — convinced him this is something that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

“The planning meeting kind of pushed it over the edge for me but this has been a growing concern of mine since day one,” Mikels said in a phone interview.

With this resolution, Bright and Mikels are hoping to prevent “high-density” developments like the Pate Farms subdivision that sparked the public outrage at the planning meeting.

“We want to address large and dense developments like what we’re seeing with Pate Farms and some of the recent developments along Best Road,” Mikels explained.

“This high-density zoning is ruining the landscape of the county,” Bright said.

The commissioners said they are worried that the county’s infrastructure cannot support unchecked growth and an ever-expanding population.

“We’re already seeing adverse affects with traffic congestion and in the schools. I feel like we just need to slow down,” Mikels said. “I think we need to stop and pause for a minute to see if this is the direction Blount County residents want to go in.”

Mikels and Bright also echoed the sentiments of many residents who are worried that Blount County is in danger of losing a cherished way of life.

“People move here for beauty, for the simple life, for Southern hospitality. If we continue to just leave the door open, we’re going to lose all of that,” Mikels said. “We don’t want to be West Knoxville.”

“If we don’t address this now, we will lose the county. The things people love about this place will be gone,” Bright said.

The resolution will be presented to the Agenda Committee and then likely be forwarded to the full County Commission for approval. If it is approved, the next step would be the formation of the ad hoc committee.

Bright conceded that this could be a “lengthy process” but added that this is an issue that needs to be addressed, something Mikels fully agrees with.

“Whether it passes or not, we need to draw attention to this,” Bright said.

“This is housekeeping,” Mikels said. “A lot of people don’t like to see that; they just want to keep moving forward. But we have got to take care of our house.”