Blount County Planning Commission approves site plan for Village Behavioral Health expansion on Jones Bend Road

The Blount County Planning Commission on Oct. 26 approved a site-plan review for Village Behavioral Health at 2422 Jones Bend Road that will allow three accessory restroom structures on an existing nonconforming nonresidential use.

The commission’s approval, moved by Commissioner Tom Hodge and seconded by Commissioner Darren Buetzle, was for the specific site plan and associated conditions required for building permits. "The building permits were for 3 accessory structures, 3 restroom facilities," planning staff member Cameron said when presenting the item.

The item matters to residents because the facility and similar behavioral-health centers have prompted questions about public safety and oversight. Commissioner Giles asked whether the Jones Bend facility was the same center that had earlier incidents involving escapes and a traffic fatality; planning staff member Buckner replied, "I have no idea. No. I don't know the, I mean, I know the history of the facility...but I don't know recent news events and things of that nature." Commissioner Bledsoe said concerns about the Helen Ross McNabb Gateway Center had heightened interest among commissioners: "It's not safe for the residents. It's not safe, for anybody around."

Planning staff told commissioners the project is an expansion of a use that predates the county’s zoning regulations and therefore required site-plan approval before issuance of building permits. Cameron said the restroom structures are smaller than 100 square feet and sit on an 80-plus-acre parcel. Staff also said any future expansion or new structures would require separate site-plan approval.

Commissioners and staff discussed how new behavioral-health facilities are handled under county rules. Thomas, a planning staff member, explained that the county’s zoning regulations address residential behavioral-health facilities through a higher review standard when a new use is proposed: "Our zoning regulations do recognize these types of facilities and makes provisions for them to be approved, but by special exception...it requires a public hearing."

Staff emphasized limits on county authority: building codes and state oversight apply to safety and licensure, and changes written into local zoning would generally apply only to new developments, not to existing, grandfathered facilities. Thomas said he would contact the county attorney’s office to request information on state statutes and what state review entails.

The motion to approve the site plan passed. No roll-call vote tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Commissioners said they may place broader regulatory questions about behavioral-health facilities on a future agenda to review what the county can require for security, fencing, or other conditions for new facilities.