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Blount County Planning Commission approves site plan for 411 South and Cedar Lawn Boulevard with permit conditions
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Summary
The commission approved a roughly 7-acre commercial/office shell building at 411 South and Cedar Lawn Boulevard, with staff recommending approval subject to county permitting, TDOT driveway approval and TDEC stormwater/erosion permits; commissioners raised questions about filled soils, liability and traffic.
Blount County’s Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a site plan for an approximately 7-acre commercial and office speculative (shell) building at the corner of 411 South and Cedar Lawn Boulevard, subject to county permitting and state reviews.
Planning staffer Thomas presented the project and said the parcel is zoned commercial and the proposed use is allowable in that district. “Staff would recommend approval subject to all county and TDOT permitting, as well as TDEC permitting regarding stormwater erosion and grading,” Thomas said, and added that a pre-construction meeting with the applicant would occur before permits are issued.
The commission’s discussion focused on subsurface conditions, traffic and building access. A committee member asked whether the site had been filled over the years and who would bear liability for future foundation problems; the member asked, “Assuming it was filled and compacted correctly, where does the liability come if for some reason the owners experience any foundation problems from here forward?” Thomas said the building-permit process requires geotechnical engineering and that the engineer who signs and seals the geotechnical report assumes professional responsibility: “In my opinion, it falls back on the engineer because they’re the professional with the seal.”
Commissioner McClellan raised concerns about traffic at two proposed driveways onto 411 South, saying the right-turn lane and driveway spacing were a safety concern. Thomas said no local traffic study was required for this project and that TDOT, as the state road authority, will make the final determination on driveway approvals; the project is in preliminary review with TDOT.
Commissioner Wells asked about circulation at the rear of the buildings and whether there was only one path of egress between structures; Thomas said building-code requirements for apparatus access and egress must be met and will be verified during plan review prior to permitting.
After questions, Commissioner Giles moved to approve the site plan with conditions and Commissioner Sullins seconded. Chair called for a vote and announced the motion passed. The transcript does not include an itemized vote tally or individual roll-call votes.
The staff record noted a prior Board of Zoning Appeals approval on the parcel—granted less than two years earlier—for a separate special exception covering self-storage and boat/RV storage, which differs from the current proposed use. Permitting steps remaining before construction were identified as county building permits (including geotechnical review), Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) driveway approval, and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) stormwater and grading permits.
Next steps for the applicant include satisfying those permitting conditions and a staff-level pre-construction meeting before any permits are issued.
