Around 60 residents of Signal Mountain came to the town council meeting Monday night, most opposed to an ordinance that would allow the minimum lot size of residential property to be reduced from one-half to one-quarter acre. Most of those present were prepared to speak at the public meeting that took place prior to the second vote on the zoning change. After all the discussion, the matter was tabled.
The proposed ordinance would allow an unusually large lot to be subdivided into a “minor subdivision” of five or fewer homes.
The size of the lot would be not less than the average of the three contiguous properties surrounding it provided that size is at least one-quarter acre. The road frontage would be averaged with those on either side but must be at least 75 feet. Other required conditions were intended to make the newly created lot and house on it consistent with the surrounding neighborhood. In order for the lot to be divided there must be no need for new road work, and additions or changes to any utility and reduced setbacks would not be allowed. Any new building would also have to conform to the existing rules governing subdivisions which would create more restrictions, all with the intent of maintaining the character of the existing neighborhoods.
The request that started the revision of the lot sizes that have been in existence for nearly 40 years came from one resident in the Old Towne neighborhood. This area originally had many homes built on quarter-acre lots. Changes often begin by the request from one citizen, but the zoning commission and council are tasked to make decisions that are in the best interests of the town without taking the circumstances of an individual into consideration, it was stated. The council sent this ordinance back to the planning commission several times for clarification in an attempt to eliminate unintended consequences.
At the public meeting, however, citizens who spoke brought up many concerns and asked questions that could not be answered immediately. Heard repeatedly was that the residents were unaware that this discussion had been taking place and they asked for the council to hold meetings to educate the public about the ordinance before the second and final vote. Several speakers took issue with the fact that the first vote on the ordinance was at a work session as opposed to a regular council meeting.
Old Towne and Palisades are the two neighborhoods most likely to be affected since sewer taps can be obtained there but are not available on other parts of the mountain. Some concerns expressed were if a neighbor decided to sell a house, individuals might not be able to compete with a developer with deep pockets who could then divide the property into smaller lots and build more houses. This could lead to the loss of diversity in the neighborhoods, increase density, create more traffic and noise and cost more to service. The schools and roads are already at capacity and are not sustainable as is, it was said, and by creating more lots resulting in more houses, the needs of the schools and roads would increase as well. It was suggested that studies be undertaken to see the effects that increased density would have on matters such as traffic and water runoff before changing the existing zoning ordinance.
People live on Signal Mountain because of the quality of life, said more than one speaker, and residents are willing to pay more taxes for all they get in return. But they also expect the council to protect them and preserve the conditions and amenities they expected when they decided to make Signal Mountain their home. One speaker said she had done due diligence before purchasing her house and had been assured that some surrounding empty lots would not be developed. This might change if the lot sizes shrink, and that is not what she signed up for, she said, adding that if the ordinance gets approved, "some of us would come out losers."
One resident asked how the ordinance pertains to contiguous property if the lot that will be divided is contiguous to commercial property, park lands, churches or land owned by the town. A question heard many times was how many properties would this new ordinance have the potential to affect. The estimates ranged from 20-200, but no one had the answer.
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utions were offered by residents of how to allow the division and sale of the property that started the whole discussion. One idea was to revert back to the current conditions after voting to allow the quarter-acre lots, once that individual property was sold. Spot zoning was another idea offered, as was to create a zoning variance.
Most of the speakers expressed concern that the matter was being rushed through and they questioned why. Mayor Dick Gee told the crowd that the public meeting was part of the process of changing a law, and that this is “what makes America great.” He said that, while the ordinance was discussed during planning commission meetings, there had been no real opposition. They were all public meetings, not secret ones. He admitted that some definitions were ambiguous and that people reading them might not know exactly what was going to be discussed. He said after hearing the public speak, he realized there were a lot of unknowns and more information was needed to clarify conditions of the ordinance.
The mayor said, “Congratulations for an outstanding meeting. It has been extremely productive.” Excellent comments were made, he said though some stung a bit. He also said he disagreed with the notion that the prior discussions were held in secret. He said it was done according to the standard process. He told the residents that if they felt the process was moving too fast that they had to accept some of the responsibility. The public has an obligation to be informed and the council is not responsible for spoon feeding them. He said, however, that he was convinced they did not have enough information and there is confusion and misunderstandings, and suggested that the second reading and final vote be tabled.
The rest of the council agreed with the mayor and a vote to table the decision was approved.