Kingsport aldermen approve first reading to rezone Fairview Avenue parcel after extended debate

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen advanced on first reading an owner-initiated rezoning of three lots on Fairview Avenue from R1C residential to B3 highway-oriented business after extended public comment and a lengthy council debate on April 7.

Neighbors opposed the change at the public hearing, saying the site is surrounded by longtime single-family homes and warning it would generate traffic and reduce neighborhood livability. "This would put traffic both in their alley that feeds behind it as well as it would just change the entire layout and would not be fair to them," a nearby resident said during public comment.

Property owner Aaron Rose told the board the center lot had been a blighted site for years, that the last home on the parcel was demolished in 2024 after repeated flooding and criminal activity, and that the developer’s revised plan limits direct traffic into the residential neighborhood by routing site access primarily to Stone Drive and an improved alley. "We’ve tried to protect the neighborhood but also bring business to Kingsport," Rose said, noting the owner offered a deed restriction to memorialize access limitations.

Council members questioned whether the rezoning would amount to spot zoning and sought guarantees that traffic would not flow into adjacent streets. Staff and the applicant said the proposed site plan provides a right-in-only access from Fairview and primary access via Stone Drive/alley, and that the city’s subsequent site plan review would address detailed ingress/egress and safety requirements.

Council discussion focused on land-use compatibility. One alderman said the lot "looks like a business" from one direction but remains surrounded by homes on others, and several members said they had visited the site to weigh competing views. City staff explained that deed restrictions are private covenants that the city does not enforce, so any such restrictions would be a private agreement between the developer and neighbors.

After debate, the board approved the ordinance on first reading by roll-call vote 4–3. The rezoning will return on a future agenda for second and final reading. The board emphasized that rezoning does not approve any specific site development; any future project would still require separate site-plan approvals and municipal review of stormwater, traffic and setbacks.

The next procedural step is a second reading on a subsequent agenda; the board did not adopt a final site plan or specific uses at this meeting.