Patrol Corporal Corey McNeal
Patrol Corporal Mark Hennessee
Police Officer Jay Lawson
Twenty years ago, Collegedale changed its zoning ordinance regarding minimum lot sizes for property that is not connected to the sewer system. At the time, the size was raised from 20,000 square feet to a full acre so there would be sufficient area to install a septic system and ensure the land would percolate. At the commission meeting Monday night, Director of Planning and Economic Development Kelly Martin said a septic system will work on less than an acre in many cases, but building there cannot be allowed because Collegedale’s zoning ordinance specifies the lot size must be one-acre minimum.
To increase efficient use of the property within the city, Mr. Martin proposed changing the minimum lot size for buildings that require septic systems to be reduced from one acre to 25,000 square feet, a little over a half-acre. The smaller lot size requirement is not guaranteed because any building application that uses a septic system must be approved. The inspection may result in the requirement of a larger lot than the minimum 25,000 specified in Collegedale’s zoning ordinance. This standard in the zoning amendment that passed on first reading matches that of Hamilton County. A public hearing on the amendment will be held in April before a second and final reading.
The commission also agreed to put a 90-day moratorium on accepting and processing sign applications. In September, a federal circuit court ruling decided that signs cannot be regulated by content which is protected by the First Amendment, said City Attorney Sam Elliott. The moratorium will give the city time to review its policy and re-write it to ensure that a sign is not denied because of content. The city will retain the right to regulate other conditions in the sign ordinance such as size and placement. During the 90-day suspension, no application for a sign will be accepted.
Approval was given for the purchase of a sewer easement needed for the relocation of the main trunk line sewer on Apison Pike. The commissioners agreed to pay $5,200 for the easement.
Measures to help keep citizens of Collegedale informed are in the works. Commissioner Ethan White suggested, and the other commissioners agreed, it would be a good idea to put audio or video of the commission meetings on the city’s new website for interested residents. And responding to multiple inquiries about the third phase of the TDOT project to widen Apison Pike, Vice Mayor Tim Johnson asked for a map that would show the plan as a whole, and specifically where bridges will be built. City Manager Ted Rogers will try to get a copy of the large map that can be hung in the library for the public to view.
Three Collegedale police officers were promoted at the commission meeting on Monday night. Police Chief Brian Hickman swore in Corey McNeal and Mark Hennessee, who were both promoted to patrol corporal, and Jay Lawson was sworn in as the city’s newest police officer.