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Lenoir City residents dispute alcohol-use rumors at proposed annexation site; council approves annexation ordinances
Summary
At a Lenoir City Council meeting, a property owner denied plans to serve alcohol at a site proposed for annexation near a church, school and daycare. The council approved multiple annexation items after a public hearing and asked staff to notify nearby stakeholders if future development applications are filed.
Lenoir City Council held a public hearing on proposed annexations and approved multiple annexation measures after residents raised concerns over rumors that an event center serving alcohol might open near a church, a school and a daycare.
The dispute surfaced during the public hearing when property owner Allie Rosenberg told the council she and her husband — owners of the site discussed for annexation — do not serve or approve of alcohol on the property. "We have no means whatsoever of alcohol. We don't drink. We don't approve of it," Rosenberg said. The council and staff said any use that would allow alcohol would require separate review through the planning commission and other proper channels before construction or change of use could occur.
City staff noted the annexation process includes a plan of services and further land-use review. Beth Collins, a city staff member who described the map and attachments for the ordinance, said the annexation package includes a map showing the parcels and that future land-use proposals would go to the planning commission for approval. Council members asked staff to notify nearby stakeholders, including Pastor Eddie Clay, if a future planning commission application is filed so neighbors are informed of proposals in advance.
The council approved several related items that evening. The council adopted an ordinance providing a plan of services for property proposed for annexation (approximately 1.82 acres on Highway 7931, described in the meeting as within the city's growth boundary), and approved a separate resolution formally annexing the same parcel. The council also approved a resolution annexing another parcel at 103 Robson Drive (approximately 3.23 acres) and related zoning adjustments described by staff as aligning county R-1 zoning to proposed city R-2 zoning for one parcel.
Council members discussed the portion of parcels that would carry a commercial C-3 zoning designation and whether that portion could be developed as an event center. Staff and the property owner said the commercial parcel in question is roughly two acres, and that the current owner intends to continue using the property as a nursery unless a buyer or future applicant proposes another use. Councilmember discussion included a request that the owner or any prospective developer coordinate with Pastor Clay before a planning-commission review takes place.
Votes at the meeting recorded passage of the annexation ordinance and the annexation resolutions. (See the actions section below for itemized outcomes.)
Why it matters: The parcels approved for annexation abut community institutions — a church, an elementary school and a daycare — prompting neighborhood concern about potential future uses that would require separate land-use approvals. The council emphasized that annexation itself does not authorize any particular commercial use and that additional approvals would be required.
Looking ahead: Any change in use (for example, a venue applying for alcohol service) would need to follow the city's land-use review process, including the planning commission and any applicable permitting steps. Staff agreed to notify nearby stakeholders if and when an application for development is submitted.
