Land Bank plans to buy Wilson St. property
Oakridger
The city of Oak Ridge s Land Bank is planning to purchase land in the middle of the city to help establish a downtown-type development there.
The Oak Ridge City Council voted unanimously at its Feb. 8 meeting to allow the city Land Bank to borrow $900,000 to purchase this land on Wilson Street. However, the resolution Council passed stated it will not be borrowing city money, and Council will not be involved in paying off the debt.
Oak Ridge City Council voted last year to recommend a “vision” for the street and surrounding area with “apartments, condos, restaurants, local shops, offices and beautiful green spaces,” according to a city resolution recommended by city staff. The street runs between the restaurants Kume at South Rutgers Avenue and El Cantarito on South Tulane Avenue, but the vision also included the surrounding area.
East Ridge City Council Amends Zoning Ordinances To Allow More Liquor Stores Saturday, February 13, 2021 - by Gail Perry
At the Jan. 28 meeting of the East Ridge City Council an ordinance passed on the final reading which established the rules and regulations for selling alcohol and wine in retail package stores or grocery stores. It was determined that two large package stores would be allowed, one on the east end of the city and one on the west end. Both would be required to be in newly constructed buildings large enough to have a section of wine.
Discussion at that meeting included allowing a third package store in Jordan Crossing at the new exit one development where most of the city’s growth is taking place. It was decided, however, to place them in older parts of the town hoping the stores will bring shoppers to the areas with a lot of empty buildings and to attract people and spur growth in both of those areas.
Oakridger
Oak Ridge City Council has approved with six votes for and one against rezoning that could lead to a new training center in Oak Ridge for firefighters and state and federal groups.
The vote was on second reading, making it final. The rezoning changes the land from a special federal zone to an industrial type of zoning used for private developments such as this one. The land is currently federal, but the future owner for much of the development will be a limited liability company (LLC), Jim Palmer, chairman of the Roane County Industrial Development Board, told City Council at the recent meeting.
Oakridger
Oak Ridge City Council members and staff expressed concern recently about homelessness in Oak Ridge and problems with finding affordable housing.
“It’s going to take all of us as a community to address this particular situation,” City Council member Derrick Hammond said.
The discussion of homelessness came up prior to the vote on the Community Development Block Grant plan on Dec. 14. City Community Development Director Wayne Blasius said the measure Council approved includes the city’s plans for using the CDBG, including some CARES Act funding this year and over the next three years.
As explained in the meeting agenda, $236,872 is the amount the city will get from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development while an additional $232,681 will be from CARES Act funding to prevent, prepare and respond to COVID-19. Together they total of $469,553 for activities in the proposed Consolidated Plan.
Dealing with growing student populations
Oakridger
As builders construct new houses and families move into Oak Ridge, the city s elected officials continue to talk about how the city’s school system should react.
Options discussed have included redistricting, repurposing space inside school buildings, or even constructing a new school.
“We’ve worked and worked and worked in order to get new housing and the community growth,” Board of Education Member Ben Stephens said recently. However, he said, the city now has to look at how to deal with this growth long-term.
“Let’s not start passing out a box of Band-Aids,” he said regarding short-term solutions compared to long-term ones.