KIMBALL, Tenn. — City leaders in Kimball are taking steps to change the town’s zoning ordinance to limit self-storage and mini-warehouse businesses to its industrial district, mostly located along Industrial Boulevard across Interstate 24.
The Kimball Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously this month to approve Ordinance 233 on first reading.
“Recently, we had someone that wanted to put mini-warehouses on C-2 [commercial zone property], but it was affecting a lot of residential people,” Mayor Rex Pesnell said. “We just decided to make that to where they could only be put in the industrial zone.”
Most municipalities have several commercial zones that allow different uses for properties, but Kimball has only one.
“The way Kimball’s zoning was originally laid out, you have quite a few properties that have commercial use, but they’re being used residentially,” City Attorney Billy Gouger said.
Most, if not all, of the properties on either side of the U.S. Highway 41 corridor that cuts through the middle of town are zoned for commercial use at least 200 feet back from the road.
Many of those properties, though, were homes when the zoning changes were made years ago, so they were “grandfathered-in” and continue to be lived in by families.
Kimball’s planning commission discussed creating an additional commercial zone like most other towns have, officials said, but recommended instead to change the zoning ordinance.
Longtime Kimball resident Jim Lofty said if the ordinance is passed, city leaders would be “hurting” someone who wanted to tear down a house along the highway to build a self-storage business.
“I think that ought to be thought about a little more,” he told board members. “I see it holding back Kimball if you do this.”
Pesnell said the unusual mix of residential and commercial uses along the main thoroughfare has caused some residents to complain about businesses going up close to their homes.
“We’re protecting citizens that have been here for numbers of years versus one individual that wants to come in here and wants to [build self-storage units],” he said. “It’s one of those things that’s just hard to deal with.”
Lofty said he understands other residents’ concerns because he wouldn’t want that kind of business next to his house either.
“I also see how you’re really going to hurt your commercial people in this town for a long time,” he said.
Businesses also would bring in more tax dollars than homes, Lofty said.
Alderman Jerry Don Case said the goal of changing the current ordinance is to designate a particular area for storage building businesses, not to eliminate them.
“If we opened it up, then there could be storage buildings just all up through here — nothing but storage buildings,” he said. “There would be nothing that we could do about it.”
The board will consider the ordinance change for a second and final time at its July 2 meeting.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.