ATHENS, Tenn. — Two McMinn County cities seeking to change their growth plan boundaries could make their case to the local coordinating committee at the same time.
The Calhoun City Commission has approved a boundary expansion north on U.S. Highway 11 and east on state Route 163.
Athens City Council members talked in a recent planning retreat about expanding their boundary to the south but haven’t voted on any specific changes.
Calhoun Mayor John Walker said the town’s plan has been filed with the county.
“We are taking in some former Bowater property,” Mr. Walker said of the eastern expansion. In the northern section, he said, “we want to go up Highway 11 to County Road 732.”
He said commissioners believe the change is reasonable and they hope it will be approved by the county growth plan coordinating committee.
Athens officials said they’ll probably discuss a proposed expansion further in their March 13 work session for approval at the March 18 business meeting. Two hearings have to be held before the city’s approval is official.
Athens and Tennessee are working on plans for a future bypass that would route motorists on state Route 30 around the city. The city favors a southern bypass because of the ability for growth in that area.
“Infrastructure cannot happen north of the city” because of problems with land and no options for sewers, City Manager Mitchell Moore said. And he said Spring Creek Ridge to the west of Athens is another barrier to infrastructure development.
But to the south, a new sewer line is being installed to Riceville Elementary School, and that area could be ripe for future development, Mr. Moore said.
He said residents will never realize the growth plan boundary is there unless major growth takes place and future annexation is an option.
“I believe the utilities issue (alone) is a good reason to expand the urban growth boundary to the south,” Mayor John Proffitt said.
Other council members agreed. Councilwoman Shannon Alvey said, “It makes sense, and I believe we can justify that.”
The new line probably would be just north of Riceville Elementary, moving east and west to join the existing growth boundaries.
The Tennessee General Assembly passed the growth plan law in the late 1990s, ordering counties and their cities to set boundaries for future growth and for areas that were to be preserved from growth. Cities may annex at will within their growth boundaries and may not annex outside them.
The growth plan committee has representatives from local governments, education, utilities, farming, construction and other interests. The whole committee must agree before a growth boundary can be changed.
County Mayor John Gentry said it is logical to have the growth committee address both cities’ wants at the same time rather than convene the committee twice.
The committee already has approved some changes. It agreed to allow Niota to include an Interstate 75 exit into its city plan, and to allow Sweetwater to expand over the Monroe County line into McMinn County.
