This article from the Banner was actually well written and full of facts so I am sharing with you!
It appears the City Mayor and the City Council are on the move again with multiple Annexes and rezoning requests!
I love it that the Banner reports that through an “impromptu” meeting by the City Council that several items were voted on! This to me seems that it was not on the agenda for public digestion, thus if the public doesn’t get notified, then there will be no opposition to this annexation! Is this legal? Maybe someone with more learning than me can set the record straight!
Also, who in the world allows these elected officials to gobble up the County and why are we allowing it? Again, maybe someone can help me out here!
Mouse Creek Corridor to consume Wacker, Amazon, two truck stops all the way up to exit 33! Am I just imagining this or are we witnessing that land grab that my elected leaders said would not happen? We are witnessing Agenda 21 perfected in Bradley County Tennessee! Not a single word from our County Commissioners! I can’t figure this one out! Please read the article below, notify your neighbors who may live around this area and tell them their environment is getting ready to change forever and taxes are fixing to go through the roof!
City to launch Mouse Creek corridor annexation
by DAVID DAVIS, Managing Editor
The Cleveland City Council passed two impromptu resolutions Monday that directed staff to begin the process of annexation and invite Bradley County to participate in a countywide floodplain study.
The Council voted unanimously to direct staff to begin the process of annexing the Mouse Creek corridor all the way to Cleveland Utilities Waste Water Treatment Plant on the Hiwassee River.
The corridor includes Wacker Polysilicon North America, Amazon.com, East Coast Lighting Distribution Center and two truck stops at Exit 33 of Interstate 75.
The Mouse Creek corridor would have to be brought into the urban growth boundary in two pieces. The first annexation could not take place before 2013.
The process of annexation begins by expanding the city’s urban growth boundary which is about a six-month process. The area is attractive to the city because municipalities are required to provide services to incorporated areas and sewer service is the most expensive cost up front. However, that service is available to residents along the existing sewer main between the city and the treatment plant.
“Any area already served by sewer is obviously not going to impact like it would if we took a subdivision they couldn’t get sewer to,” said Development and Engineering Services Director Jonathan Jobe. “When we did our study on Mouse Creek Road, there was talk about another interstate exit where you could alleviate a lot of traffic off Mouse Creek Road and that would be something you’d want to initiate.”
The city includes an area of 28.77 square miles. By law, the Council can annex 25 percent of the city’s area every two years, which amounts to about seven square miles.
The last major expansion of the urban growth boundary and annexation occurred in October 2010 when the city extended its boundary southward to bring in the proposed 343-acre Spring Branch Industrial Park. Also included in the expanded growth boundary was the 357-acre Cleveland Municipal Airport alongside Michigan Avenue Road and Dry Valley Road. The Council only recently completed annexation of the 357-acre municipal airport.
Hardwick Farm, which includes about 678 acres between Stuart Road and Tasso Lane, and from North Lee Highway up to Urbane Road is scheduled to be incorporated into the city in February 2012. The plan does not include existing subdivisions between the farm and Urbane Road.
The other impromptu resolution simply directs City Manager Janice Casteel to invite Bradley County to participate in a countywide floodplain study. The city has allocated $300,000 to fund the local share of a floodplain study in the city.
On other regular agenda items, the Council passed the following by a 7-0 vote:
– Resolution 2011-107 approved an additional and amended contract with Warren Moberg and David Watts, for providing services to meet the requirements of the Targeted Crime Reduction Grant.
n Ordinance 2011-26 to rezone 357 acres of the new airport property at 4505 Michigan Avenue Road N.E. and 261 Dry Valley Road N.E. from Rural Agriculture (RA) to Light Industrial (IL).
– Ordinance 2011-27 for rezoning a property yet to be addressed on Michigan Avenue Road Industrial Highway (IH) to High Density Single and Multi-family Dwelling District (R3).
– Ordinance 2011-28 for rezoning a property yet to be addressed on Peach Orchard Hill Drive from Single Residential (RI) to Low Density Residential (R2).
– Ordinance 2011-29 to amend the Zoning Code’s downtown parking requirements.
– Ordinance 2011-30 to amend PUD8 on 25thStreet/APD40 to change the number of units in Phase II from 144 to 112. (p. 24-38).
Bradley County News Network 