Committee advances near-final zoning rewrite, approves lowering PUD minimum and tightens site-plan contours

The Codes and Zoning Enforcement Committee reviewed a near-complete draft of the county zoning ordinance and endorsed several technical changes that committee members said will clarify development standards and improve infrastructure review.

Chair turned the meeting to Rick, who presented a reconciled version of the ordinance and described a series of cleanups intended to make the document easier to navigate. "There's a few cleanup things we need to go over, and it looks like we're just about done with this progress," Rick said, adding he emailed copies in advance.

Rick described corrections to several definitions and use categories. He said he removed the word "vertical" from the condominium definition so buildings with horizontal floor/ceiling separations are not excluded, and noted that state law will control where it conflicts with local language. On group homes, Rick said state code treats certain group homes serving people with disabilities as single-family residences, and "state law is gonna control" how those are treated in zoning.

The committee debated a proposed change to PUD minimum sizes. Under the draft, a residential PUD minimum was set at 5 acres; after members argued that a lower threshold could expand allowable PUD sites while others warned larger complexes pose management and infrastructure challenges, the chair moved to lower the residential PUD minimum to 2 acres. The motion was seconded and recorded by the committee as approved; members stressed density limits and other ordinance provisions still control how many units can be built on a smaller site.

The draft also included a set of changes to site-plan technical standards. Rick said mobile home-park site plans and other flat sites need more precise topographic data and recommended changing contour intervals from 5 feet to 2 feet "which is pretty common practice." The committee agreed in principle to apply 2-foot intervals more broadly to ensure drainage plans show sufficient detail for low-slope sites.

Officials also discussed infrastructure constraints that affect development reviews. The chair told the committee that the county water treatment plant has reached capacity under guidance from Tennessee regulators, and that some previously approved projects may now lack available water taps and would have to return for a capacity review.

Public commenter Robbie urged stricter enforcement of state structural standards and permitting steps for accessory structures and home occupations, saying some structures are being used as salons or businesses without appropriate septic or commercial approvals. The committee asked Robbie to provide addresses for alleged violations so staff could follow up.

What comes next: staff will finalize the ordinance language and the chair said the revised draft will be presented to the county commission once those edits and the chief’s requested permit language (for a separate open-burning item) are assembled.