Trezevant Council Amends Zoning Ordinance

TREZEVANT (October 14) — The Trezevant Board of Aldermen met Tuesday in regular session and took action on the issue of tiny houses after months of deliberation and delays.
Aldermen considered an ordinance prepared by community planner Donny Bunton of Northwest Tennessee Development District. Bunton had made several changes to the prior draft after gathering input from the board at the September meeting.
The ordinance defines a tiny house as "a principal residential structure which contains 900 square feet or less of heated living space and is designed to be used as a dwelling." Structures that are not considered tiny houses are those fashioned from previously-purposed structures such as storage containers, grain bins, water tanks and train cars. (The previous draft of the ordinance defined tiny houses as containing a minimum of 900 square feet.)
Tiny houses must have the same general appearance as required for site-built homes and must be installed on a permanent foundation system. They must be covered with an exterior material customarily used on conventional dwellings. Any hitches or towing apparatus, axles and wheels must be removed. The roof must be pitched so there is at least a two-inch vertical rise for each 12 inches of horizontal run, and it must consist of material customarily used on conventional dwellings. Tiny houses must connect to a public utility system (gas, electric, water and sewer). The house may not exceed one story in height, excluding sleeping lofts.
Lots containing tiny houses must be at least 15,000 square feet for each dwelling unit.
The ordinance also clarifies accepted uses of travel trailers and recreational vehicles. Such vehicles are not generally permitted as a principal use of property, but a new provision states, "In the event that a resident's dwelling is destroyed or severely damaged, the Zoning Compliance Officer is authorized to allow temporary usage of a travel trailer/recreational vehicle as a replacement dwelling for a period not to exceed three months. An extension of the temporary usage, not to exceed an additional three months, may be granted by the Zoning Compliance Officer if necessary."
The ordinance amends the definition of "Accessory Building or Use" to include the provision, "Buildings originally designed as tractor trailer containers and buildings originally constructed for dwelling purposes, such as mobile homes, manufactured homes, modular homes and travel trailers, would not be considered accessory structures to residential uses."
The ordinance creates a new special exception for residential districts, which can be applied by the Board of Zoning Appeals to allow "for existing principal structures, which were constructed for the purposes of operating conforming non-residential uses (such as churches of schools): any other use which, in the opinion of the Board of Zoning Appeals, is similar in character to the permitted uses and special exceptions of the district and which will not be detrimental to the property's surrounding neighborhood." Examples of scenarios in which this would apply which were discussed by the board were a vacant school building becoming a day care or a vacant church becoming a wedding venue.
The final amendment in the ordinance codifies the rules for erecting more than one principal structure on a lot in the various districts. Commercial and industrial districts allow for multiple principal structures, whereas residential districts allow only one. For multi-family and mobile home developments, each structure is subject to minimum lot requirements as though it were on its own lot.
There was some discussion on each portion of the ordinance, and it was approved on a 4-1 vote. Alderman Don Barger dissented, citing dissatisfaction with the clarity and intent of the section regarding the new special exception and the Board of Zoning Appeals.
The council approved on second and final reading the rezoning of a parcel of land along U.S. 79 from B-1 to R-1 for Edward and Kimberly Whitten.
A water leak adjustment was approved in the amount of $82.95 for a resident of Big Buck Road. The resident also requested relief from late fees associated with the bill, but was denied.
It was announced that the Halloween Track-or-Treat at the park would be Saturday, October 25 at 5 p.m.
The meeting adjourned after 45 minutes.