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Kingsport board approves rezoning for Martin Marietta quarry expansion over neighbors' and school board's objections
Summary
On July 21 the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 6–1 to rezone about 49 acres along Airport Parkway from MX to M2, allowing Martin Marietta to extract rock from the parcel; the company read a list of voluntary blasting and monitoring commitments while Sullivan County school officials and neighbors warned of risks to Holston Elementary.
The Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 6–1 on July 21 to rezone roughly 49 acres along Airport Parkway from MX (Mixed Use) to M2 (General Manufacturing), a change Martin Marietta says is needed for extraction operations that would feed regional road and construction projects. Vice Mayor Duncan moved approval; Mayor Montgomery cast the lone No vote.
Martin Marietta's vice president, Jeff Farrell, and company counsel Marcy Walker read operational commitments into the record intended to reduce risk to nearby properties and Holston Elementary. Walker read that ‘‘Blasting shall not occur closer than 1000 feet to Holston Elementary Elementary School and until a plan has been submitted to provide for safety at Holston Elementary to a high degree.’’ Walker also said the company will fund independent seismograph monitoring at the school, provide written reports within 24 hours after a blast, offer pre-blast residential inspections within 1,000 feet, and accept responsibility for damage claims with a mediation step if parties cannot resolve a claim.
Sullivan County School Board Vice Chair Angie Stanley urged caution, telling the board that the proposed expansion would place "extensive quarry operations, including the blasting, just 220 yards from our school building" and noting that Holston Elementary serves 133 special-needs students, including 18 autistic children. Multiple nearby residents testified that blasts and dust already affect their homes and raised health, safety and property-value concerns. Neighbors and the school board had previously submitted a unanimous letter urging the city to prioritize student safety.
Alderman Baker, who said he reviewed the application and met with residents, said the company's voluntary commitments influenced his decision: "Because of their willingness to voluntarily develop and bring forward some operational guidelines that I believe will provide additional protection for the school [and] nearby residents ... I believe approving the zoning ... is the appropriate decision tonight." Board members asked staff to send the company's written commitments to the Sullivan County School Board for review; staff said the document was added to the agenda as a late supplement and will be circulated for comment.
The rezoning approval was a first-reading action; board members said a second reading will occur at the next Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting in early August. The decision does not by itself set operational permits: Martin Marietta's blasting and air- and water-related operations remain subject to state and federal regulatory programs and any site-specific permit conditions administered by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation or other agencies.
