Back in 2005, Joe McCord's dad, Keith McCord wanted to put a lot of condos in near a wetland at Crosscreek, there on Carpenters Grade Road and Sandy Springs.

The Maryville Board of Zoning Appeals turned it down.

Keith McCord sued them.

Meanwhile, Joe McCord puts in some legislation to de-list some 3,000 waterways and it seems a little obvious that this would benefit a development that would disturb a wetland, if a claim can be made that it is a wet-weather wetland.

But in today's paper, there's an article that Joe McCord's Legislation, which he had energetically defended before, has been "watered down" now to just cleaning up the Nolichucky River and another article that Chancellor Forgerty has "set aside" the BZA's decision in Keith McCord's favor for his condo complex. Strangely, this happened Feb. 1st and we are only now hearing about it.

If you want to go see how this series of coincidences play out, there's a meeting tonight:

The Board of Zoning Appeals will meet at 5 p.m. today for a briefing from attorneys about the ruling.

"Concerns raised by citizens relative to traffic is a matter that may be reviewed and considered by the Maryville Regional Planning Commission at the next requested approval phase of the property development ... if permitted by the applicable laws and regulations," the ruling states.

This is the view from the school at Caton's Chapel in Sevier County. This is a crying shame. Fairview Angel--I would have posted this under your "Mountain Rape" entry, but I couldn't get the picture to upload.

This is a stunning reminder of development gone awry. If you stand at the school and look up at this mountain, it is nauseating.

My heroes have always been farmers. My grandfather farmed, my sister married a farmer, the people dearest to me are farmers and by golly- I like to eat!

Over these past few months war has been waged in Blount County and the firing line as been Letters to the Editor of the DT. Today, we finally have a no nonsense and direct accounting of the events which led up to the BZA decision.
Thank you Ms. Campbell!

The letter is here Link...

Tomorrow's 5:30 meeting of the Planning Commission includes in its agenda a section on Long Range Planning. Three really important items stand out:

Here are the links to the supporting documents, the first being the agenda:

a - agenda for November 20, 2007
b - memo on amendments to subdivision regulations public h…
c - memo on rezoning public hearing for 11-20-07
d - memo on plat reviews for 11-20-07 _minus attachments_
e - memo on long range agenda items for 11-20-07 _minus en…

Might be a good meeting to attend, if you are interested in better understanding the process of how regulations are created. (And if your turkey is thawed.)

The Planning Commission will hold a called meeting to begin revision of the Policies Plan and other plans of the County on October 30 at 5:30 P.M. in Room 430 of the Courthouse.

You may have missed the announcement of this very important meeting since it is not listed under the Meetings listing on the county website. It is rather hidden under the Plans listing.

Why are we changing the Blount County Policies Plan? Have the residents of this county changed their opinions as to what they want for Blount County? Do we no longer love the rural beauty or have we made the choice to become the bedroom for Knoxville and Oak Ridge?

Could it be....... 411 South as strip mall city or Pollywood West?

Could it be....... because SBUD is now in the sewer bid'ness?

Could it be....... to offer even more protection to Townsend and The Privileged Side of the Smokies?

Read the documents then come to the meeting.
Link...

This Tuesday, Oct 9 is going to be a very important night in Blount County.
Back to back committee action down at the courthouse.

Using the pointers R. Neal gave us yesterday at the Democratic Luncheon, let's talk about these issues one by one.

Great post over on Knoxviews regarding the high cost of rural development.

Link...

Change is in the wind folks. Sit up, speak out and hang on! Three important dates to talk about.

Monday night, Sept September 24 at 6:30 P.M. in the Blount County Public Library will be the third and final Plans Review Citizen Imput session. Plans as in Blount County Planning. As in what YOU want for the future of Blount County.

This final public session falls between the Planning Commission's completed worksession on Water Quality Plan and EHAT action plan and discussion of further review activities and the September 27 meeting when they begin the plan revision process. That is right. This Thursday the revision process begins and then it will be quickly followed by a rubber stamp Commission session.

According to the Hunter Growth Strategy, Blount County's Zoning Regulations are "neither fish nor fowl, but a recipe for Urban Sprawl."

Hunter (whom we paid a boat load of money to come up with a "smart growth" plan for Blount County) recommended AGAINST commercializing along our highway corridors, yet you see more and more Rezoning Public Hearings for rezoning to Rural Arterial Commercial Zoning (RAC). Mind you, the RAC is greatly improved from its original form, but still: do we want Scenic Highway 411S to be commercialized beyond the Urban Growth Boundary with the city and straight to the county line? I have seen numerous quotes all over the place where officials state that it is a foregone conclusion.

Is this the welcome we wish to extend the tourists we sincerely hope we draw into our community? Did we learn nothing from the development of "Al- killya Highway"? Currently, the plan is to by-pass Alcoa Highway. Are we planning ahead to by-pass 411S by extending crappy metal building commercial down both sides of it??

And lo and behold, on next Tuesday's Intergovernmental Agenda, I see discussion and possible action to set up another hearing to AGAIN consider rezoning that place with the metal building that the owner built on the apparent pretense of using it as a private dwelling (4004 Hwy 411S, corner of Hitson and 411S). The fact that it had no windows was a major tip-off, of course. Even the TN Property Assessor's Databas calls it a "warehouse." The DT picked it up in this article back in May: (Link...) and here was the outcome; apparently the Planning Commission didn't care that it was an end-run around the law and they voted in favor of it: (Link...)

It was defeated 10-7 at the Commission Meeting (Link...), although the following Commissioners voted for it: Commissioners Farmer, Hargis, Harrison, Hasty, Helton, Lail, McCulley, Melton, Ramsey and Samples.

Roger Fields was quoted in that article as saying the property could not come up for another vote for 2 more years. Yet, here it is again. What's up with that? It is obvious that some in this administration never saw a commercialization on 411S that they didn't like.