Mt. Juliet City Commissioner Advocates For Increased Transparency After Residents Surprised By Potential Rezone

Image Credit: City of Mt Juliet / YouTube

The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –

Mt. Juliet City Commissioner Scott Hefner is advocating for increased transparency after residents were taken by surprise over a potential rezone of property at the entrance to their neighborhood.

Hefner says that the city should return to placing physical signage on lots that alert residents of potential rezoning of property within city limits, a practice that was once standard but was recently changed.

Clearview Estates residents showed up at the Board of Commissioners meeting last Monday night to protest the potential rezoning of a one-acre lot that fronts the neighborhood at the corner of North Mt. Juliet Road and Clearview Drive.

Currently zoned for OPS (Office Professional Services), the property at 1316 Clearview Drive was up for a vote by the board to rezone to CTC (Community Town Center) so that landowner Kenneth Powers could develop the property to include a building with a drive-through.

However, ahead of the commissioner’s meeting, no sign was placed on the property to make residents aware of the upcoming vote.

While the city sends out certified letters notifying any property owners adjacent to a lot about a pending rezone, the city also used to put up physical signage on the property to alert other residents.

Due to a recent state change in regulations governing annexations and rezones that took effect last year, the city’s attorney and Planning Commission did away with mandatory physical signage.

Hefner wants the city to make a change to the city’s codes and revert back to what the city used to do in order to be fully transparent with the public.

Last week’s meeting was not the first time that Clearview Estates residents had engaged with local government about the lot at the entrance of the neighborhood.

Back in July, residents addressed the Planning Committee and asked them to give a negative recommendation for the rezoning of a block of 13 properties that included 1316 Clearview Drive.

Residents stated during public comment that CTC zoning would allow for restaurants with drive-throughs and operating hours stretching late into the night increasing both light and noise for neighbors living on Barrett Drive behind the properties in question.

The committee voted against the proposal in a 6 to 1 vote.

But in September, when presented with a proposal to only rezone the one lot at 1316 Clearview Drive, the Planning Committee then chose to give a positive recommendation to change the property’s current OPS standing to CTC, sending it on to the Board of Commissioners for a first reading.

Requested by Commissioner Art Giles, who owns similar property (included in the July proposal) a few lots down on North Mt. Juliet Road, one resident surmised that rezoning the one property would lead to a domino effect of other lots also currently zoned OPS.

While city planning staff said that changing the zoning would have no adverse effect upon adjoining property owners, Clearview residents insisted that rezoning would lead to worse traffic and safety issues in a neighborhood with no sidewalks and few streetlights.

Because there is no traffic light at that location allowing drivers to safely turn north onto Mt. Juliet Road, nor is one feasible, neighbors fear that traffic will increase in the neighborhood as more drivers will cut through the neighborhood to exit at the traffic light at Weston Drive. Many drivers already cut through the neighborhood down the entirety of Clearview Drive which has led to the installation of several speed bumps in an effort to cut down on speeding.

The proposed rezone was narrowly voted down 3 to 2 with Giles voting in favor.

About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.