The Oak Ridge North City Council approved a plaza district for an area along Hanna and Robinson roads that could one day become a town center.

Despite a recent 3-1 decision by the city's Zoning Commission against the proposed plaza district, the council voted 4-1 on Oct. 14 to create the new zoning district. Charis Beal, chair of the Zoning Commission, said the commission heard concerns by businesses within the proposed district, including A1 Utility and Oak Ridge Reformed Baptist Church. Beal said businesses worry the district could impact their property values or their ability to sell the property.

"This is America and people do have property rights," Beal said. "We're all up against the wall on this, but this is a serious, serious decision for all of us. We are affecting the rights of property owners."

The zoning restrictions limit any new businesses that would open in the district to more than 20 specific uses, requires any developers within the area to create a planned unit development and requires each developer to meet certain standards. City Attorney Chris Nichols said developers hoping to build within the district would either work with the city on a master plan for the area, apply for a special use permit or meet the requirements of the district.

City Manager Vicky Rudy said all businesses already within the proposed district would be grandfathered in, but the new restrictions could affect those businesses if they decided to sell the property, expand or make renovations. City council members said they did not want to negatively impact local businesses, but understood the need to approve the district to protect the area from incoming businesses that could hinder the city's plan for a town center.

"I don't think its right to penalize our current merchants and citizens for something that might happen five or six years down the road," councilman Tom Coale said. "If there was another way to do this, if we could put another moratorium on it for 180 days, I would do that. We can't."

Mayor Jim Kuykendall said changes could be made to the development requirements in the future. Kuykendall reassured businesses affected by the decision that nothing is finalized regarding their properties.

"I see a town center with a church in it and I see a town center with a printing business in it," Kuykendall said. "With that being said, where were you a year ago when we were discussing the comprehensive plan? Here we are at the goal line, and you're telling us which play to run."

He said no decision has been made about the possible rerouting of Robinson Road.

"Everyone wants to play make believe that Robinson Road is coming to come through their business," he said. "We won't know and we won't know for a year until the [South Montgomery County Mobility Plan] is done, and we may not know until months after that."

Jess Larson, pastor for Oak Ridge Reformed Baptist Church and headmaster for the church's school, said he and other church officials attended the Zoning Commission meeting and supported the commission's decision not to support a plaza district.

"The mayor obviously mentioned that he envisioned town center with a church, but as written, the district does not include any religious [or educational] uses," Larson said. "We're obviously displeased with the decision of the city council."

The city council also approved other zoning changes Oct. 14, including the creation of an M-3 Mixed Manufacturing District, which includes recently annexed areas of the city. Rudy said the annexed tracks include future sites for mixed-use developments just south of city hall and east of the intersection of Rayford and Hanna roads.