The City of Oak Ridge North is considering annexing two separate tracts of land on the east side of the city which may be used for future retail and office development.

City Manager Vicky Rudy said there is a tract of land behind City Hall, located at 27424 Robinson Road, which had been owned by a homeowner for years. The developer of the adjacent Compadre's Texas Cafe recently purchased the tract with the plan to develop the land into retail and office space similar to what developer owns in the adjacent space behind Compadre's, Rudy said.

Rudy told the City Council at a meeting March 25 this was the only remaining tract of land which could be annexed without annexing Robinson Road and Hanna Road. The same developer also owns a tract of land along Robinson Road east of the railroad tracks, but the city cannot annex the land without annexing Robinson Road first.

The City Council expressed concern with the maintenance of Robinson and Hannah roads, because Montgomery County maintains them currently. The city may be required to maintain the roads if it were to take ownership. Rudy said she has not spoken with the county yet, but said there could be future development benefits along the two roadways if the city chose to annex them.

"That's a decision for council, and if they want to take advantage of economic development, then there's a lot of benefit to it," Rudy said.

Rudy said she will contact the county and hopes to bring information to council at an upcoming meeting in April. The city cannot forcefully annex property without a petition, Rudy said.

The council also approved $5,000 for four speed bumps and signage along Blueberry Hill Drive at the March 25 meeting. Rudy said as many as 1,000 vehicles drive down the north and south connector every day and while it not a speed problem, there is a traffic concern on the roadway.

City officials recently met with residents regarding the issue and the residents petitioned to have the speed bumps installed. She said the bumps should slow down traffic and possibly discourage motorists from using the road to pass through the city.