Oak Ridge Town Council on Sept. 4 approved a multi-part text amendment creating "event center" as a permitted use in several nonresidential zoning districts and allowing the use in certain residential districts only through a special-use permit. The Planning and Zoning Board had reviewed the proposal and voted unanimously to recommend approval.

The amendment allows event centers by right in the General Office (GO), General Business (GB), Shopping Center (SC) and Public/Institutional (PI) districts. In agricultural and RS-40 residential districts the use would be permitted only by special-use permit and only if additional standards are met; the ordinance text requires a minimum lot size of 3 acres and access along a major thoroughfare for RS-40 special-use requests. The document also adds a definition of event center and development standards addressing parking, buffers and noise mitigation.

Bill Grieco of Land Solutions, speaking at the public hearing, said multiple landowners had asked about event spaces and that the proposed text "landed with a good end result" after work by planning staff, the planning board and council. Town counsel and multiple council members stressed that the special-use permit is a quasi-judicial process that allows council to weigh evidence and attach conditions, and that the RS-40 pathway was written to protect neighboring homeowners.

Why it matters: The new use creates a regulatory path for property owners seeking to develop event facilities in appropriate commercial areas while providing extra protections and a higher approval bar for rural and residential neighborhoods. Council members emphasized the special-use permit as a final safeguard, noting minimum size and road-frontage requirements are intended to prevent small-lot intrusions into quiet neighborhoods.

Council member Stone made a motion to approve the event-center text amendments; the council voted in favor by voice vote. The amendments include parking standards and specific development criteria intended to limit noise and preserve buffers; council discussion highlighted that a special-use permit is required for RS-40 and agricultural district proposals and that each application would be considered on its facts.

Next steps: The amended ordinance will be incorporated into the town's development code; individual applications in RS-40 or agricultural areas will follow the special-use permit process and be evaluated by council under quasi-judicial rules.