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Planning Commission backs ordinance change to allow rebuilt multifamily units after disaster
Summary
The Springfield Municipal Regional Planning Commission recommended the Board of Mayor and Aldermen amend the city zoning code to allow reconstruction of nonconforming multifamily buildings after involuntary damage and to align the abandonment period with state law.
The Springfield Municipal Regional Planning Commission on Aug. 7 recommended that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen amend the city zoning ordinance so nonconforming multifamily residential buildings may be rebuilt after involuntary damage and so the abandonment period matches state law.
Planning staff explained the change was prompted by a zoning verification request for The Flats at Moreland, a multifamily development that would be a nonconforming use under the current code. “If they were to burn down and be a 100% destroyed, they would no longer be allowed to rebuild,” Mr. Allen, a staff member, told commissioners.
Staff presented language that mirrors Tennessee Code Annotated 13-7-208. Mr. Allen summarized the state-aligned provision as allowing “a new principal building for a nonconforming multifamily residential use [to] be reconstructed only in the event of damage, whether partial or complete by involuntary fire or wind damage or other natural disaster pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 13-7-208.” The amendment also changes the period of abandonment or discontinuance in the city code from one year to 30 months to match state regulations.
Commissioners discussed whether to revisit the city’s comprehensive plan before approving rezones tied to annexations; several members said the plan was adopted only about a year earlier and staff should continue to rely on it for recommendations. City staff reported frequent inquiries about annexations, including parcels on the north side currently zoned industrial and larger tracts along Tom Austin that the future land use plan designates agricultural.
The commission voted to forward the zoning text amendment recommendation to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The motion passed 9-0; the motion maker and seconder were not specified in the transcript.
Staff also briefed commissioners on other planning items under review, including a Panera site plan with phased construction and interconnectivity to the Siler Center, a parking-lot expansion (MDI), and a Jasper Fields homeowners association filing. Staff said a public-facing project tracker is being used internally and had been updated to include Panera.
The commission adjourned and planned to remain for about an hour of training with members of the Board of Zoning Appeals.
