The town of Signal Mountain Planning Commission held the first of two open house/charrettes events April 17, with the second scheduled for April 23, to get public feedback on the town's updated land use plan. First adopted in 2008, it was updated in January of this year.
Jennifer Williams, regional planner for the Southeast Tennessee Development District, said the new plan updates all the zoning and land uses on its maps to reflect changes that have taken place over the last 10 years. It also adds a chapter on parks and recreation that includes priorities, strategies and information taken from a 2017 survey on the town's recreational amenities.
The plan serves as a general policy guide for the town council, planning commission and other boards in their decisions concerning future community improvements and rezoning requests - including several that may be voted on at the town council's next meeting May 14.
At its April 9 meeting, the council tabled its final vote on whether to rezone property located at the intersection of Taft Highway and Albert Road from low-density residential to office district to allow for a 12,000-square-foot office building. A request to rezone low-density residential property on Cauthen Way behind Signal Crossing to highway commercial is also expected to come before the council at its May meeting. A grocery has been proposed for that site.
During the April 17 open house, attendees were given a list of potential priorities for the town and asked to place a sticker on what they felt should be the top three priorities.
The top vote-getter was protecting residential neighborhoods, which received 20 stickers; followed by preserving natural areas and open spaces, with 11 stickers; emergency services such as fire and police, with four stickers; maintaining and improving streets, with three stickers; promoting quality retail and commercial development, with two stickers; water quality, with two stickers; bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, with two stickers; intergovernmental cooperation on the mountain, with one sticker; and increased housing diversity, with one sticker.
When asked to name the town's most valuable assets and strengths, the attributes most commonly mentioned were the schools, trees/green space, sense of community, small-town feel and publicly owned water system.
Attendees were also asked to identify the town's greatest needs and weaknesses. Several mentioned the quality or lack of sidewalks, stream quality, too much commercial property, the need for more sports and recreation facilities, and the need to preserve natural resources.
There were several contradictory responses. For example, one citizen listed "lack of commercial" as one of the town's greatest strengths, while another noted "more commercial zoning for offices for professionals" as one of its greatest needs.
"The commercial areas are tired looking and in need of improvement," wrote one attendee. "More retail is needed to grow the economy. Money will continue to 'leak' off the mountain in the current environment."
Citizens were asked to use a map of the town to identify which areas they think need to be protected or preserved from further development. About a dozen attendees posted notes on the map on Taft near the intersection with Albert Road, stating that they did not want commercial zoning to expand beyond that point. Though, several said they felt medium-density residential would be appropriate.
On a separate map, they were asked to identify areas of the town they feel are appropriate for further residential or commercial development. The only comments mentioned more than once were "none" and that no "big box" stores are needed.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.