John Coffelt, Editor

Three unrelated zoning matters that had previously failed during Board of Mayor and Aldermen meetings will return to the floor during the January BOMA meeting.

The three items were brought up for a vote to reconsider during the Dec. 3 BOMA meeting, a rezoning request for property on Belmont Drive (off of Oak Rd.) to be reconsidered and two requests for annexation. One annexation request was for 99 acres owned by Robert Gilley on the Murfreesboro Highway and one on Sissom Road owned by Donald Parker.

The motion to reconsider the Gilley and Parker annexations barely passed with 3-2 votes and Alderman James Threet abstaining from both.  Alderman Julie Anderson and Donny Parsley voted no.  The motion to reconsider the Belmont rezoning passed unanimously.

That rezoning passed the first reading during the May BOMA meeting with a split vote and former Mayor Marilyn Howard breaking the tie. The motion failed during the second reading 2-3 with then-Alderman Joey Hobbs and Donny Parsley voting yes.

Anderson brought the item up for reconsideration. She said that the property owner, Ronnie Randall, requested the change back to what it had once been zoned before it was owned by the old hospital.

Vice Mayor Mark Messick requested the Gulley and Parker annexation reconsideration. The Parker 10-acre property, if annexed, will be tied to the Stonehenge Subdivision on Interstate Drive.

Threet questioned if the Stonehenge development matched what Parker had requested the additional 10 acres be zoned.

“It’s an R-4, but it’s called a subdivision?” Threet asked.  

Codes Director Brittany Fiske confirmed the request would be R-4 high density residential.

“R-4 is the zone, but he has presented a preliminary plat and construction plan for a subdivision and it’s under construction currently,” she said. “I believe the idea is that this 10 acres, which is adjacent to it, to be another phase of the subdivision that’s under construction currently.”

Threet asked how large the homes would be in the development.

Fiske noted that there are no house size requirements in the zoning restrictions other that the structure should fit inside the building envelop, a hypothetical space boxed in from property line setbacks, easements and potential right-of-ways.

The two requests for annexation failed during the Nov. 19 special call meeting 1-3 with Alderman Thomas Crosslin voting yes and Threet and Parsley absent. 

The request for annexations, requests for zoning and related approval of plans of service will be on the January 7 meeting agenda.     

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.