New GB Quarry 2
| I've been watching the debate, on social media, of
the possibility of a new rock quarry locating in the city of Greenback.
Seems to be a pretty even split between those who support and those who
oppose. I have no personal opinion on what's best, I just want to be
sure all the facts are clear. The debate seems to be that the 231 acre
Hutton property must either be a quarry or a housing development. This
is not correct. It doesn't have to be either. The property is currently zoned M-1 Industrial. Under Greenback zoning regulations, neither a quarry nor a housing development is allowed in the M-1 Industrial zone. The only way the property could be a quarry or a housing development is if the Greenback city council rezones the property. As M-1 Industrial zone, there are regulations of what type of industry can locate on the property. Below is a link to the Greenback zoning regulations adopted in 1986. Click Here For Greenback Zoning Regulations The city council could rezone the property, if requested to do so, to A-1. This would allow a quarry, by special exception only, or residential development of one house per acre. The council could rezone the property to R-1 Low Density, if requested, which would not allow for a quarry but which would allow for two homes per acre with no public sewer, 2.9 units with public sewer and water. Or the council could rezone the property to R-2 Medium Density, if requested, which would not allow for a quarry but which would allow for two homes per acre with no public sewer four homes per acre with public sewer and water. The R-2 zone also allows for up to 18 multi-family units per acre with public sewer and water. The key to all this is, it's up to the Greenback city council to make any zoning changes. While Greenback does have their own zoning regulations, they do not have their own planning commission or board of zoning appeals. At some point in the past, the city opted to ask the Loudon County Planning Commission to administer their zoning policies. So to be clear, any rezones, requested or enacted, in the city of Greenback will not come to the Loudon County commission. The Loudon County planning commission would make a recommendation on any rezone request inside the city but the final decision as to whether to grant a rezone will be entirely up to the Greenback city council. The Greenback city council should consider a review their 1986 zoning regulations which could be updated to better reflect the needs of Greenback in 2023. They could make some needed changes that would give the city much better control of zoning within the city.
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4/10/23
