Dandridge may expand Urban Growth Boundary to prep for development
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Anything that happens will take time because it has to go through the appropriate channels and get the needed approvals. The Dandridge Growth Boundary Committee is already moving in that direction as they prepare for the local population to increase.
An urban growth boundary is a geographical limit to separate areas of urban development from surrounding rural or agricultural land.
"Dandridge formally submitted a resolution to the growth boundary committee to kind of start the process," Dandridge town administrator Chris Shockley said. "We were able to work with the East Tennessee Development District on preparing some maps and doing some things that gave us an idea as to where the boundary would be or could be."
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The boundary is located just west of Dandridge to Exit 412 on I-40. The resolution Shockley mentioned was adopted and passed on September 10. Shockley said this process will take time.
"This is a very long, time intensive process. The state mandates how the process is supposed to go," Shockley said. "It started with reconvening the Urban Growth Boundary Committee and there were two public meetings held."
There have been several public meetings held regarding this resolution. It passed through those meetings and will now require the municipalities within Jefferson County to look at and vote on.
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"This gives them the opportunity to number one, they have to vote on ours but also if they would like to update their growth boundaries then this starts that to," Shockley said. "They have 120 days to approve that resolution after that it comes back to the Growth Boundary Committee which will formally request that to County Commission."
This process could take between 12 and 14 months before it gets to County Commission. All of this started with a phone call to the City Council.
"The Jefferson County Industrial Development Board contacted our City Council and inquired about us taking sewer to exits 415 and 412," Shockley said. "We have a moratorium on city sewer that it stays inside the city limits. We told them the only way that could happen is if those properties were annexed into the city."
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We asked Shockley about annexing, he said first the boundary has to be extended. Only then, can annexing be considered in that area. We also asked if the boundary proposal gets approved, what would property taxes go up for home owners in that area. He assured 6 News taxes would not.
