Mill Info Post

[Amber Floyd Lee]

Here is a summary for those that could not be in attendance:

Specially Called Neighborhood Meeting

Regarding Mill Apartment Development

Jan. 9, 2014 at the 1st Church Community Center

This meeting immediately followed the required neighborhood presentation by Evolve’s Scott Austin. In contraindication to previous statements by Mr. Austin and Mr. Mabrey, he stated:

1. There were no plans for any commercial development on the property, including at location of Mize. 2. The apartments will be marketed to students. 3. The apartments could be leased by the room.  

Amber Lee, SNO’s Housing and Community Development Representative, informed the group that Evolve had retained the law firm of Herndon, Coleman, Brading and McKee to represent them in the Mill property matter.  Amber said has been communicating with city officials, developers, and attorney Tom McKee regarding the project.  She explained that Evolve is requesting both a change in zoning and a zoning variance to proceed with their project.  The zoning change from B-2 to B-3 allows the first floor to be residential instead of commercial. To accomodate the required parking they still need a variance. The variance allows Evolve to have a parking lot between the building and the road along State of Franklin Road.   She said she and Mr. McKee set up the time of the meeting to meet the timeframe as it is required by the city code.

Amber made the following points:

• At the November SNO meeting, the organization voted to work with the Chamber and this developer or others only if there was some sort of commercial development on the Mill/Mize sites. This developer is not going to do any commercial development whatsoever.

• The Apartments will be 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. They will be leased not only by the unit, but also by the room, just like University Edge and Campus Ridge. Those apartments have had crime issues. Evolve will do roommate matching for strangers that need a roommate. A three bedroom apartment can have three different leases. This is the typical model for student apartment complexes.

• Granting a zoning change for one property opens the door for others to have their property rezoned for that purpose.

• The request to rezone occured after our November SNO meeting where we voted to work with the Chamber of Commerce, this developer and others as long as there was some commercial development. This developer stated tonight he is not going to do commercial development. Amber said commercial development on the Mill site, and the Mize site is physically and financially possible, it is just not what this developer chooses to do.

• She said State of Franklin Road has a Design Overlay. When new buildings are built, a percentage must be brick and natural stone, they have to have nice signage, landscaping, etc. Johnson City has a Design Overlay  down the State of Franklin corridor to make it look nice. If the variance is granted, we will have the expanse of parking lot between the road and the building. Evolve are attempting to mitigate it with landscaping, but you can’t make an apartment building parking lot look like anything other than what it is with a hill and some bushes.

• Several in attendance, including an architect, engineers, were frustrated that nearly three acres of land between Downtown and the University would be a parking lot because the structures would be stick built.

• B-3 zoning allows for fraternity and sorority houses. It is the only other issue that SNO has taken a position on...that SNO wants the fraternities on campus. If this property is converted to B-3, that paves the way for others since such a large expanse of Walnut Street will become residential, with housing that CAN be fraternity/ sorority houses.

• Amber and others discussed that this is almost 6 acres of land on the vital corridor between ETSU and Downtown. The best use is most likely a mixed use and rushing into this project without studying its effect on the rest of the properties on Walnut Street, State of Franklin, Downtown, the Tree Streets - particularly traffic flow is not very forward thinking.  

• As it stands now Walnut Street is a corridor in transition with some light industrial remaining and it is currently a patchwork of zoning.  

• She proposed to the group that a Comprehensive Corridor Study be done on Walnut Street from University Parkway down to Roan Street.  This study would show what businesses or buildings currently exist and how the properties are being used.  It would also determine what is needed for the area to flow, thrive, and make the current businesses successful and what would make the best use of the Walnut Street Corridor. This would look at everything from sidewalk width, stop signs, traffic patterns, landscaping, signage, flood and drainage concerns. This is an opportunity for the city to perhaps even address specific problems like downtown parking- an opportunity to have a parking structure with trolleys or buses running to downtown and ETSU.

• Amber shared that Knoxville did a similar corridor study to what is proposed on their Cumberland Avenue. She had it available on her computer for those interested to look at after. It can be found here: Cumberland Avenue Corridor Study

• At the bare minimum she said we need a traffic study on how this is going to affect the neighborhood, Walnut and State of Franklin.  She said she has received emails, and listened to concerns that the student residents are going to drive out of the complex onto Walnut Street to get to ETSU and then return from University Avenue down Pine Street and Walnut Street to re-enter the complex. That is a lot of additional traffic for commercial Walnut Street and residential Pine Street.

• Walnut Street has been neglected. She said she thinks (hopes!) the planning commission, the BZA and the city commission have the foresight to slow down and see what is needed, if this project is right for Walnut Street, and if it is then it will be a part of Walnut.

• Amber said that while she knew it was very frustrating that we were now being told the exact opposite of many of the statements from the first and second Mill meetings, it was important not to be anti-development or even anti-Evolve.

• Regarding Redevelopment: She shared with group an email from Mr. Gary Mabry of the Chamber with a timeline on the Mill. Amber said that our concerns shouldn’t be with this specific developer, but ensuring that development is done correctly. One in attendance disagreed with her and said that it would be better to have the Mill stand there as it is than have this developer do this project. Others said it should be redeveloped like what was initially promised by the Chamber of Commerce. That sentiment was echoed by many in attendance who had knowledge of the various offers that were made to redevelop the Mill as mixed use. Amber said that it is the Chamber’s property and as private property owners they can do with it what they want but that does not extend to a rezones AND a variances without a forthright explanation of their statements to the BZA, Planning Commission and BZA.

• Amber was aware of other offers made to the Chamber as well, but Evolve made the highest offer. But what Evolve cannot do is request to have it rezoned AND request a variance without explaining themselves before the planning commission, the BZA and the City Commission. But we must let our city officials and boards know our concerns. They WILL LISTEN TO YOU.

• She said it is important to stress that we are open to development only that we ask that it be done responsibly. It needs to be in the best interest of our neighborhood, our greater community and Johnson City as a whole.   

• She said that what the developer said about the flood plain might not be accurate and that recently another apartment project in the old ETSU coalyard, The Franklin, was recently approved. That project sits in the flood plain, too. At our last meeting Mr. Mabry said Mr. Austin’s plans were to put one large anchor store on the corner at the Mize location. At this meeting Mr. Austin said he has done a lot of commercial development and the Mize property is just too narrow to develop commercially.

• She asked the group to attend the Planning Commission Meeting January 14 at 6 pm, the BZA on February 11 at 9 am write to the City Commission requesting a Corridor Study and to take a little time to study the impact this project will have on the area.

• She said she was told by a gentleman who worked with our neighborhood on building Southside School that we were “trouble” and “proud” and the room broke into applause. She said she was proud to be a part of such an involved neighborhood. She believes we have a good board of commissioners who truly care about the city and will listen to our concerns if done so respectfully.

This goes before the Planning Commission then the Board of Zoning Appeals and if it passes both of those, then it will go before the City Commission to be signed off by them.

Lastly Amber urges the group to:

1.  Attend the Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, January 14th at 6 PM. Ask for a Corridor study.

2. Write emails articulating the need for a corridor study on Walnut Street. That should be the neighborhood’s unified position. Then include any specific personal concerns you may have that we have discussed at one of these meetings: issues with the zoning change, the variance, neglecting the current State of Franklin Design Overlay, that students vacate in the summer and it will sit empty, crime at other rent-by-the-room facilities, a suburban-style apartment complex doesn’t fit B-2 or B-3,  transient tenants won’t spur economic growth, traffic flow concerns, tearing down a structure that qualifies for the National Historic Registry, roommate/stranger matching, redevelopment, the developer’s plans, sand volleyball and half court basketball is not a family playground, renting by the room, 3 acres of parking lot, noise, no commercial development, building materials, or whatever your position or concern is. Please be respectful.

3. Attend the BZA meeting February 11 at 9 am.

4. Send your letter to the media. Write a letter to the editor of the JC Press, News and Neighbor, Business Journal or any other press. Let your voices be heard. So far, we have allowed the Chamber/Developer to control the tone of the conversation in the press.

Write emails:

Our City Commission and Board Members:

JOHNSON CITY COMMISSION

Mayor Ralph Van Brocklin [phone] [e-mail]

Vice Mayor Clayton Stout [phone] [e-mail]

Commissioner Jeff Banyas [phone] [e-mail]

Commissioner Jenny Brock [phone] [e-mail]

Commissioner David Tomita [phone] [e-mail]

JOHNSON CITY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS

Brenda Clarke [e-mail]

Kevin D. Cole, Chairman [e-mail] 773-2653

Thomas M. Hord [e-mail] 926-5410

Joe Wise, Vice Chairman [e-mail] 926-7373 ext.106 or 202-2509

Dan Rutledge [e-mail] 915-1263 or 737-2915

Jamie Povlich [e-mail] 202-2963

Jenny Brock [e-mail] 791-1262 (C.C. Representative)

Jim Woods [e-mail] 913-0358 833-5144 , 788-0152

John F. Hunter, Asst.Secretary [e-mail] 915-2209 (Mayor’s Representative)

Gregory C. G. Cox, Secretary [e-mail] 791-3331

BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS MEMBERS

Dr. Mike Marcioni 423-439-5632, 423-928-8551 [e-mail]

Robert Thomas 423-791-4335 [e-mail]

Jeff Benedict, 423-279-6738 [e-mail]

Dwight Harrell [phone] [e-mail]

Jamie Povlich [phone] [e-mail]

From the JC website: There are three boards and committees the Planning division staff serves: the Johnson City Regional Planning Commission; Board of Zoning Appeals; and the Historic Zoning Commission.

Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA)

Local Boards of Zoning Appeals (BZA) are authorized by the Tennessee Code Annotated to consider variances, special exceptions, administrative reviews, and Zoning Code interpretations. The BZA meets the second Tuesday of each month at 9:00 a.m. in the Commission Chambers of the Municipal and Safety Building.

Johnson City Regional Planning Commission (JCRPC)

The Johnson City Regional Planning Commission (JCRPC) consists of ten citizens, eight of whom are appointed to (3) three-year terms by the Mayor while two are held by City Commissioners or their designees. The Planning Commission reviews all rezonings, annexations, and right-of-way abandonments and makes recommendations for approval or denial to the Board of Commissioners. The Planning Commission also makes recommendations on land use policy issues through the subdivision regulations, zoning ordinance, and the comprehensive plan. The Planning Commission meets at 6:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Commission Chambers of the Municipal and Safety Building.