Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Map Corrections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tazewell holds joint public hearing, gives first reading to rezone Riverside Drive parcels and add municipal services to B‑2
Summary
The Tazewell Town Council and Planning Commission held a joint public hearing Dec. 9 and gave first reading to two ordinances to reclassify several Riverside Drive parcels from R‑2 to Business General (B‑2) and to add 'municipal services' as a permitted use in B‑2; a resident urged using a former auto shop for a part‑time fire station contingent on rezoning.
The Tazewell Town Council and the Planning Commission held a joint public hearing on Dec. 9 to consider rezoning multiple parcels along Riverside Drive from residential R‑2 to Business General B‑2 and to add a new permitted use, "municipal services," to the B‑2 district.
Mayor Joe R. Beasley opened the hearing and the council read a public notice describing the proposal and the affected Tax Map parcels. The council gave first reading to Ordinance 2025‑12‑001 (rezoning the specified parcels to B‑2) and companion Ordinance 2025‑12‑002 (amending Town Code Section 23‑48 to add a new Section 21, "municipal facilities," as a permitted use in B‑2). The ordinances were presented for first reading; a second reading and potential action are scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026.
During public comment a resident (speaker 7) said the town had received a $600,000 grant years earlier to begin establishing a part‑time fire department but rising construction costs produced higher estimates. He said the group negotiated a contingent purchase of a former BW Auto property in Mortazzle and asked the council to approve the zoning changes so the site could be repurposed to serve nearby communities as a part‑time station. "We have a contract on that which is contingent upon getting zoning approval," the resident told council, urging approval of the proposed map corrections.
The mayor said copies of the proposed ordinance amendment are available for public review at the municipal building during normal business hours. Council members and staff noted that the zoning map corrections would not change other designations on the town map and that any final action would follow the second reading in January.
The council set the public record and invited further questions from citizens and the Planning Commission before taking final action at the next scheduled hearing.
If the council adopts the ordinances on second reading, the reclassification would allow municipal and public‑safety uses in the affected parcels; the council has not yet taken final action.
