Planning commission recommends denial of rezoning for 138 Minga Drive after residents cite safety, infrastructure concerns

On Oct. 21, 2025, the Johnson City Regional Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend denial to Washington County of a developer's request to rezone 18.17 acres at 138 Minga Drive from its current split low-density/agriculture designation to PRD-2 (Planned Residential District). The recommendation to deny was made during the commission's public hearing and carried on a recorded roll call vote.

The decision followed more than an hour of public comment and staff presentations focused on traffic safety, emergency access and the absence of a binding concept plan for the county rezoning. Riley Pudney, planning staff, told commissioners the property is roughly 18.17 acres, split-zoned and partly inside the city limits (about 0.5 acre at the entrance). Pudney said PRD-2 density is 6.5 units per acre, which would allow up to 118 units on the parcel; she reiterated that Washington County does not require a concept plan at rezoning and that, if rezoned, a driveway permit and traffic study would be required at the time of development.

Residents told the commission they feared a substantial increase in crash risk on Minga Drive and nearby Claude Simmons Road. Tracy Bowers, who lives at 269 Claude Simmons Road and owns an adjacent parcel, said she had obtained crash counts from Washington County 9-1-1 showing “29 accidents just in that 780 foot distance” between Jan. 23 and June 25 and “since July, there have been 9 more accidents in this exact same stretch of road.” She added, “With no binding concept plan required in Washington County, if this rezoning is approved, I feel like we're potentially victims of a bait and switch.”

Other nearby property owners echoed those concerns. Brit Bowers read a statement for a neighbor, Dr. Jeff Hoplin, noting Minga Drive’s narrow width, limited sight lines and poles close to the roadway. Chris Buck, who owns 283 and 285 Claude Simmons Road, called the rezoning a “Trojan horse,” saying the county process does not require submission of a final concept plan so impacts would not be fully known until after rezoning. Tony Martin, a resident of Saint Anne's Court, and Stan Weidner, owner of contiguous property, described the area as rural and said the proposal would be incompatible with surrounding low-density uses.

Jonathan Lewis, the property owner and applicant, said the developer would follow required studies and improvements, including a traffic study and road widening. Lewis said the traffic study would likely require widening Minga Drive by about 4 to 5 feet to reach a 24-foot standard and that “the developer is prepared to do that.” He also said that under PRD-2 the likely single-family outcome would be about 60–69 homes and that annexation into the city under R-3 zoning could allow higher densities.

Planning staff and public works staff explained that because Minga Drive is a city-maintained public road, a driveway permit and traffic-impact study (performed to TDOT guidelines) would be required at development; staff said the developer would be responsible for the cost of the traffic study and any road improvements determined necessary. Pudney noted a sewer line is located roughly 200 feet north of the site’s water line and that some portions of the property are within the city’s urban service area.

Commissioners said the earlier July hearing and the applicant’s subsequent withdrawal and resubmission left the commission with no new material changes since the July denial. Commissioner Williams said the proposed zoning was “not consistent with the adjacent properties” and stressed unease at granting a rezoning without a binding concept plan; another commissioner said granting PRD-2 without a plan would be “a blank check” to maximize density.

The commission's motion recommended denial to the Washington County Commission. Commissioners Aldridge, Baumgartner, Goodson, Kelly, Williams, Vice Chairman Dutton and Chairman Dagenhart recorded votes in favor of the recommendation to deny. The county commission is scheduled to take final action on Oct. 27, 2025; Pudney noted a county override of the planning commission recommendation would require a two-thirds vote of the county commission.

The public hearing portion of the record contains repeated resident safety concerns, multiple eyewitness accounts of collisions and property impacts, and specific requests that the commission deny the rezoning until a binding concept plan and additional infrastructure analysis are provided. The commission's recommendation does not itself change zoning; it sends a formal recommendation to Washington County for final action.