By TABITHA EVANS MOORE | Editor-in-Chief

LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — Things got a little heated at Tuesday night at the December Metro Planning and Zoning Commission meeting with an appearance from Troy Woodis of Gateway Companies – marking his first public interaction with county officials since the company filed suit against Metro Moore County in mid-November. Woodis noted that Gateway had submitted a site plan on October 22 for inclusion on the December agenda and sought clarification on why it was not scheduled for review.

{To read The Times complete coverage of that lawsuit, click here.}

His brief remarks quickly escalated into a tense, back-and-forth exchange with Planning Chair Dexter Golden, who repeatedly stated that county attorneys had instructed the commission to communicate only through legal counsel now that litigation is underway.

As a result, staff paused review of Gateway’s site plan and removed it from the agenda pending further instruction from the county’s attorney.

Woodis and Golden also revisited a series of conversations from late October regarding the procedural steps for site plan review. Woodis said those discussions left him with the understanding that the plan would undergo third-party engineering review ahead of the December meeting. Golden stated that any such review would have depended on the plan being on the agenda and the engineer being present, and that the initiation of litigation changed the commission’s ability to proceed.

Golden emphasized that, regardless of the lawsuit, the Planning Commission would not have been able to approve the Gateway project under the current zoning, which classifies apartments as a commercial use. Under normal procedure, he said, the commission would review a plan, refer it to the third-party engineer, and revisit it the following month — but any approval would still require the Metro Council to address the zoning classification.

Woodis concluded by reiterating that he was seeking clarity on the standard process. Golden confirmed that under routine circumstances, without pending litigation, the engineering review process would have likely begun at the December meeting.

{Editor’s Note: Public meeting coverage is crucial to the health of any community. This article remains free to all readers thanks to reader support and our community partners at Barrel House Barbecue. Please support the local small businesses that support your community newspaper.}

Retreat withdrawls commercial rezoning request

During public comment, Rance Fry of Retreat at Whiskey Creek submitted a written statement to the Planning Commission clarifying the status of his earlier request to rezone two tracts from R-3A to commercial. In the letter, Fry noted that the rezoning request had been denied based on an ordinance section that applies to travel trailers and recreational vehicles — a provision he now believes was misapplied and unrelated to his property.

Fry stated that the issue is ultimately irrelevant because the non-residential buildings in question were already included in the 23.56-acre R-3A approval granted in May 2022. At that time, the commission was informed that the structures would serve event functions and on-site management. His letter affirms that the Retreat intends to continue under the original R-3A approval and will not pursue commercial zoning at this time.

Fry added that utility installation is underway and the project remains on schedule. He said the Retreat will move forward with its originally planned operations without requesting further zoning changes.

The Metro Planning Commission meets on teh first Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at the County Building. To have an item added to the agenda, submit it to the Metro Codes Office 10 business day prior to that meeting or before November 19. If you would like to be added to the agenda, contact the Metro Codes office at 931-759-7068. •

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