JC Commission to consider contracts for Burlington Mills developer, Indian Trail Middle repairs

Johnson City commissioners will consider approving an annexation request and a contract with the developer on the Burlington Mills project, among other zoning ordinances and contracts at its upcoming meeting. The commission meeting is set to take place Thursday 6 p.m. in the commission chambers, inside city hall at 601 E. Main St. Here's the highlights from the meeting's agenda. Annexation on Hopper Road for 35 homes Johnson City commissioners will consider a request to annex and rezone two parcels that total 13.82 acres of land fronting Hopper Road. The owners, Eugenia Fox Thomas and Donna Fox Hobbs, are requesting the property be rezoned from its current agricultural land use to R2-C Low Density Residential, according to agenda documents. The R2-C zoning district would allow for single-family homes with minimum lot sizes of 6,000 square feet. According to the commission agenda, the owners plan to sell the property to Land Star to develop into a 35-home neighborhood. While a concept plan would need to be approved separately from the annexation before any construction begins, Land Star already provided a concept plan for consideration. Burlington Mills redevelopment project An infrastructure agreement between the city and Brush Creek Development LLC for the Burlington Mills redevelopment project is on the commission's docket for approval Thursday. The agreement outlines infrastructural additions or improvements the developer and the city must accomplish before project completion. Some of the listed developer obligations include constructing new roads in the redevelopment's surrounding area and cover costs of necessary certifications for the new roads. Some of the city obligations include incorporating new traffic controls and railroad crossings in the area, according to the commission agenda. As currently planned, the redevelopment project will add nearly 1,000 new apartment units, around 100,000 square-feet of retail space and a public park to the property previously known as Burlington Mills, located at 2203 McKinley Rd. The infrastructural improvements outlined in Thursday's agenda include widening West Walnut Street, replacing the existing bridge, and adding new railroad crossings and traffic signals. The city has issued a $2.5 million bond to cover the city's part of these infrastructural improvements. Indian Trail Middle front foyer repairs The commission will also consider approval of a bid from Preston Construction for $123,000 to repair the entrance of Indian Trail Middle School, which was damaged when a truck veered off the road into the front of the building in January. Insurance is expected to cover 100% of the repair costs, according to the commission agenda. The city plans to have the contractor begin repairs after school lets out for summer with a timeframe of 45 days. Public hearing for Antioch Road rezoning A public hearing will be held Thursday at the commission meeting for a rezoning ordinance accompanied by plans for a 48-home development on Antioch Road. Despite several Woodhill subdivision residents voicing their opposition to the rezoning at its meeting in March, the planning commission ultimately voted 6–2 in favor of the ordinance, sending it on to the city commission. Unlike public comment periods, public hearings do not require community members to sign up to speak beforehand. If passed, the ordinance will move on to its third and final reading.