Gatlinburg denies rezoning request for Ivy Road parcel after neighborhood opposition

The Gatlinburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen denied a request to rezone tax map 117N, Group A, Parcel 22 — a small lot off Ivy Road — from R1A (low-density residential) to C2 (general business) at a regular meeting; the meeting date was not specified in the transcript.

The request, submitted by Ashley Foster, had been disapproved by the Gatlinburg Planning Commission on Feb. 27, 2025, and drew opposition from nearby property owners. Foster said 29 of 34 property owners in the Montgomery Woods subdivision opposed the rezoning but that the opposition did not meet a 75% threshold needed for an applicant-led withdrawal or similar local petition remedy.

Foster told the board she submitted the rezoning request in part because the site is adjacent to existing C2 zoning and because she said the lot is unusually small. “If we are stuck with the R1A, the setbacks only allow 5 foot of building space on, I think it says, the southern side of the property. On the northern side of the property, we’re left with 40 foot,” Foster said. She also said the parcel has been used for overnight rentals and that the small size will make building a permanent residence difficult: “I’m not mistaken it is the smallest in Montgomery Woods.”

Planning staff (identified in the meeting as Dalton) summarized the Planning Commission record and opposition count before the board took up the item. Board members moved and seconded action to consider the matter and then voted; the transcript records a voice vote, with the presiding chair calling for those opposed to say “no.” The clerk then said, “No. Case denied.” The transcript does not record a roll-call tally or the names of the motion’s maker and seconder.

The denial preserves the parcel’s R1A designation. The planning commission’s denial and the neighborhood opposition were cited in discussion on the record.

The board moved on to other agenda items after the vote.