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The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to deny a rezoning of residential property to allow for the construction of duplexes, supporting an unfavorable recommendation by the Planning Commission.

Ernest G. Hobbs, Jr., chief executive member of Tennessee Homes, LLC, presented an application to rezone 1.72 acres of land on Old Estill Springs Road from single-family residential to multi-family residential. The land in question is surrounded by three low-density, single-family housing districts and one agricultural district.

The amendment was presented to the Planning Commission during its February meeting for its consideration, at which time the Planning Commission held a public hearing and voted to send the Board of Mayor and Aldermen an unfavorable recommendation based on inconsistency with Section 103 that the rezoning would create an inconsistent development pattern with the existing development pattern of single-family homes in the surrounding area.

Hobbs explained that the home owned by his company on the property was burned down in November of last year, after being struck by lightning. In his rezoning application, he stated that the land would provide enough space to build multiple duplexes, in order to provide rental property in Tullahoma.

“These will not be government-assisted apartments or duplexes,” he said. “They’re gonna be more mid-level, nicer apartments that attract professionals into the area. Several neighbors did voice their concerns at the planning meeting, regarding issues about property value decreases, traffic and possible increase in crime. The value of a brand-new building will actually increase the property value of the neighborhood. I don’t foresee six families causing a significant increase in traffic. These will be professional, working, private-pay families, so crime shouldn’t be an issue at this location.”

Dozens of Tullahoma citizens came to the meeting in order to speak during the public comments section on this issue, in order to protest the approval of this rezoning. Sherry Sherrill, a resident of an adjoining residential district, spoke on the importance of maintaining the peace of the neighborhood.

“I’ve lived in my home for over 50 years,” she said. “We just do not want duplexes moved into our property and it rezoned. There is a huge field behind us, one across from us, one a little further down that is zoned by a group here in Tullahoma. If the zoning is changed, then they could also go in and put duplexes or whatever they want in there, which would change the whole dynamics of our neighborhood.”

She requested that the board maintain consistency with the recommendation by the Planning Commission, as well as the zoning recommendations by the comprehensive plan that is in use.

“Mr. Hobbs said he wants to rent to corporate people,” she said. “The last two tenants he had: [he] foreclosed on them, because they had back-payments. Those are not corporate people. They drank, they caroused, they did all kinds of things.”

She then requested that the other citizens who came to represent their neighborhood stand up, at which point half of the room, as well as people waiting in the hall, stood or raised their hands.

Mary Orr, another resident of a neighboring district, spoke about the dangers of traffic and speeding that already exists in the area.

“They’re doing time trials going down through there,” she said. “People are scared to get in and out of their driveways. We don’t have walkers or runners. The two duplexes that are down the street going toward town; if you go out there after a good rain, the water is up to their back door. It is a swampy area at worst, and it is a wetlands at best. We’re talking about areas that may or may not park, and we’re talking about road conditions.”

She then brought up vacant properties within Tullahoma that have stood vacant for years that are available for having duplexes built within or on the property, without changing the existing neighborhood.

Melissa and Tim Wilson, neighbors who live directly across from Hobbs’ property, spoke on their personal history with prior tenants of the developer.

“It has been a nightmare,” she said. “They’re in the streets in the middle of the night, two or three o’clock in the morning. We’ve found them in our driveways and our yards. The trash is ridiculous, that is already there. If he is allowed to put duplexes, will there be individual trash receptacles, or will the city require that he have a dumpster? That creates another problem. The turnover is ridiculous. He made a point to let you know that the last tenant that was there was a corporate tenant that was displaced because of a fire. The fact is: that tenant had $6,000 out of her pocket that she had put into that house, because it was deplorable. She moved out of that house two weeks before that fire.”

The rezoning failed for lack of a motion.