Smithville Planning Commission Recommends Approval of Rezoning and Plan of Services Requests

May 13, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Mayor and Aldermen will soon consider two new rezoning proposals and a plan of services for another property owner annexation request.

(View map of Smithville Urban Growth Boundary Here)

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During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the Smithville Municipal Planning Commission voted to recommend rezoning a parcel of property located on West Main Street from R-1 (Low Density Residential) to C-1 (General Commercial) at the request of owner Mark Hart who wants to build a salon for his daughter.

While land around the Hart location is currently zoned R-1, city officials said the property across the street is all zoned C-1.

The recommendation now goes to the mayor and aldermen who will consider adopting a rezoning ordinance on first reading followed by a public hearing and then second reading action after all adjoining landowners have been notified.

The planning commission also voted to recommend a request from Josh Hawkins to rezone a parcel of property located at 885 Foster Road from R-1 (Low Density Residential) to R-2 (High Density Residential).

Hawkins wants to build a duplex on the property. According to city officials the back half of Hawkins’ property is in the county but the front half where he wants to put the two-family duplex is in the city.

Again, as with the Hart request, the planning commission’s recommendation regarding the Hawkins site will go to the mayor and aldermen who will consider adopting a rezoning ordinance on first reading followed by a public hearing and then second reading action after all adjoining landowners have been notified.

In other business, the planning commission approved Mitchell Bowman’s final plat for a 29-lot subdivision located near Holmes Creek Road. City officials said the development meets all the subdivision regulations and zoning ordinance requirements.

A plan of services has also been recommended by the planning commission for the proposed annexation of a parcel located at 640 East Broad Street by the owner’s request, Lou Ann White. According to city officials, White wants this parcel to be in the city limits adjoining another she owns which is already in the city.

The mayor and aldermen will consider adopting a resolution in June calling for a public hearing on the proposed annexation and approval of a plan of services. Adjoining property owners would then be notified. Any final action on the request in August would not come until after a public hearing in July.

During a public comment period, Smithville property owner Steve Cantrell said that while he had no issue with the White property in particular, he asked that this annexation request and all future such requests from other entities (including SRM also on Highway 70 east) be put on hold until the city can ensure that each annexation consideration is based on an overall growth plan.

“The Smithville City Government approved the Smithville Tennessee Land Use and Transportation Policy Plan for 2010-2030 which is dated May 2011 and specifically addresses future annexation of property into the City limits of Smithville,” Cantrell explained. “It cites the passage in 1998 of Public Chapter 1101 by the TN Legislative Body. Specifically, 1101 allows the city to establish an urban growth boundary in which it expects urban development to take place. Under provisions of this state law, the urban growth boundary is the only area the municipality can feasibly consider the annexation of additional land,” said Cantrell.

“This is a multi-year annexation schedule which would be in the form of a Smithville Fringe Area Study. To the best of my knowledge, this study or related work has never been done. And as such, the city’s annexation process comes into serious question,” Cantrell continued.

“The mayor and aldermen bear the responsibility for the successful implementation of the Smithville Tennessee land Use and Transportation Policy Plan for 2010-2030”.

“Under the responsibility of due diligence on behalf of the taxpayers, I recommend each one-of you read or reacquaint yourselves to ensure you understand the plan before this or any other annexation proposals are considered. In turn, there may be both additional permanent and temporary actions you may wish to take,” said Cantrell.

“You can still annex outside of the urban growth boundary,” said Tommy Lee, Director of the Upper Cumberland Development District, who serves as UCDD staff planner and advisor to the City of Smithville.

“What I am questioning is we are having proposals put before this committee without an understanding of what the logic was behind having to do that in accordance with the plan that is in effect through 2030. I’m not sure how many of you have had the privilege of reading the 2010-2030 plan which was put together for your use. Yes, our infrastructure is good enough right now but I’m talking about the future infrastructure as we continue to annex and if you don’t have a plan then we are getting ready to pay a big bill in the future. We need to make sure that any annexation is done with smart growth in mind and not piecemeal,” said Cantrell.

On Tuesday, Lee sent to city officials a copy of the municipality’s current urban growth boundary,

“I have attached the Smithville Urban Growth Boundary. The two parcels that we have recently recommended the plan of services for annexation (White and SRM properties on East Broad Street) are both within the growth boundary,” wrote Lee.

“We look at it (annexation) on a case-by-case basis. We don’t just automatically (recommend) annexation for everything that comes before this board,” said planning commission member Caleb Gash.

In 2021 the city denied an annexation request by a landowner for development of a 40-lot subdivision on his 13-acre site near the airport.

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May 14, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

The DCHS Tigerettes will be on the road at Lawrence County with a Region Tournament Championship on the line Wednesday evening,

WJLE will have LIVE coverage with the Voice of the Tigerettes John Pryor starting at 6 p.m. on WJLE AM 1480/FM 101.7 and on the LIVE audio stream at www.wjle.com

The Tigerettes defeated Marshall County in a rain shortened five inning Region Semi-Finals Game Monday 4-0 at the Danny Bond field while Lawrence County beat Stone Memorial 4-2.

WJLE thanks its sponsors:

Gill Automotive

C&S Farms

The Realty Firm

Love-Cantrell Funeral Home

FirstBank

DTC Communications

DeKalb Prevention Coalition

Liberty State Bank

DeKalb Funeral Chapel

Curtis Supply

Wilson Bank & Trust

Sams Tire & Auto Services

DeKalb County insurance

Caney Fork Electric Cooperative

Galaxy Ford

May 12, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

A 50-year-old Overton County woman lost her life when the Ford F150 she was in crashed and overturned after hitting a deer early Sunday morning on Highway 70 east near Jack Hudson Road. The wreck occurred around 12:48 a.m.

Dead is Ms. Jimmie Allen of Hilham, Tennessee in Overton County.

According to Trooper Jacob Raper of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Ms. Allen and three others, 54-year-old Stanley Hammock, 37-year-old Travis Murphy, and 46-year-old Amanda Porter were passengers of a 2017 Ford F150 traveling west on Highway 70 in the Hillcrest-Johnsons Chapel area. The pickup was driven by 55-year-old Charles Smith. All but Allen were residents of Livingston also in Overton County

Trooper Raper said after Smith’s vehicle struck the deer, it left the roadway to the right and went up an embankment before overturning. The F150 then came to rest on its top facing south across both lanes of Highway 70. Ms. Allen, though not ejected, went through the sunroof as she was not wearing her seatbelt.

Porter was airlifted to Vanderbilt hospital and Smith was taken to Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital. Hammock and Murphy were not injured.

Members of the DeKalb County Fire Department’s Johnsons Chapel Station and extrication team were summoned to the scene along with sheriff’s deputies, DeKalb EMS and the Tennessee Highway Patrol Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT).

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