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Commission forwards rezoning near new Justice Center to City Council despite neighborhood concerns
Summary
The commission voted 7‑0 to forward a rezoning request for a 0.29‑acre parcel on W. Third North Street from R‑2 to OMP, after staff said the proposed OMP zoning is consistent with surrounding office and governmental uses; one attendee raised concerns about impacts on nearby historic homes.
The Morristown Regional Planning Commission voted June 11 to forward a rezoning request for a small parcel on W. Third North Street to the City Council after staff said the proposed Office‑Medical‑Professional (OMP) zoning is consistent with surrounding government and office uses.
Steve Neilson, Development Director, described REZN‑2988, a request by petitioner James Snyder to rezone a 0.29‑acre parcel from R‑2 (medium‑density residential) to OMP. Neilson said the parcel is bordered to the north by the new Justice Center and by single‑family residences on the other sides and that the predominate zoning along the corridor is OMP with office and governmental uses, including Helen Ross McNabb and E‑911 facilities. He said a newly constructed office there would be constrained by setbacks and buffer requirements and estimated the building size would be limited to roughly 1,200 square feet to meet those requirements.
Mayor Gary Chesney moved to approve forwarding the rezoning to City Council; Secretary Roni Snyder seconded. Andrea M. Laux, listed on the attendance sheet, asked that the rezoning be denied, saying it could diminish the value of surrounding historic homes. Neilson responded that the OMP district is for office, medical and professional uses and must comply with strict buffer requirements to screen from residential properties; he also said OMP would not allow typical retail uses.
Questions during the discussion clarified that manufactured housing rules differ (single‑wide mobile homes are generally not allowed within city limits outside mobile home parks; doublewide/manufactured units may be permissible in residential zones under existing rules). Perry Doka asked whether there were current plans for the lot; Neilson said there were none on file. When Debbie (Deb) Carrell asked who requested the rezoning, Mayor Chesney said the application listed James Snyder as the petitioner.
The motion to forward the rezoning passed 7‑0. The City Council will consider the rezoning at a future meeting; staff materials and buffer requirements will accompany the referral.
