Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Special Exception topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board OKs special-exception request for Rutherford County medical examiner lab and EMS facility
Summary
The Smyrna Board of Zoning Appeals granted a special exception allowing Rutherford County to locate a medical examiner lab and EMS building in an I-2 district on Weekley Lane; site plan review by the Planning Commission and building-permit review remain required.
The Smyrna Board of Zoning Appeals on a voice vote granted Rutherford County a special exception to allow a government administrative services use — a medical examiner laboratory and an EMS facility — on an industrially zoned property with access off Weekley Lane.
Town staff told the board the property already contains county facilities, including the county clerk's office and a recycling facility, and that the proposed uses are listed as a special exception in the I-2 district. Staff recommended approval after reviewing setbacks, parking, utilities and buffering, but noted that final site-plan approval remains with the Planning Commission and that building permits will govern internal mechanical systems.
Mitch (staff member) told the board the property has “access to all utilities including gas, water and sewer” and showed a revised site plan locating a smaller EMS building near Weekley Lane and the larger medical facility farther north on the site. Matt Taylor, representing the applicant, said medical waste would be removed separately and that laboratory exhaust would be handled through hoods and scrubbers to avoid odors. Taylor said, “that will be that will get hauled out separately.”
Board members asked whether mechanical details such as scrubbers would be reviewed by the Planning Commission; staff and board members clarified that mechanical and plumbing reviews are part of the building-permit process rather than the Planning Commission’s exterior-focused site-plan review. The board then moved to approve the special-exception use; a second was offered and the chair called for a voice vote. The motion carried.
The approval grants permission for the use as a special exception only; the applicant must submit a full site plan to the Planning Commission and obtain building permits before construction or occupancy.
Notes: The board’s discussion and staff report referenced municipal zoning ordinance criteria for special exceptions (sections 7.06 and related provisions).
