Oak Ridge North amends zoning ordinance to increase tax base

The City of Oak Ridge North has amended its zoning ordinance for its B-2 Secondary and Highway Business District in hopes of amassing more sales tax revenue for the city.

City Manager Vicky Rudy said that many of the businesses in the city's prime retail space along I-45 were operating as offices and therefore not generating effective sales tax revenue.

"We noticed that a great deal of our freeway space was going to office use, even though it was situated for high tier retail, like Rooms To Go and Pier 1," Rudy said. "We have some excellent retailers, but we're surrounding them with office use."

In November, the Oak Ridge North city council enacted a 90-day moratorium on leasing some retail space for office use so that the city could review its zoning laws. Rudy said the changes allow the city more control over what types of businesses open in the highway district.

"It's about sales tax for us because without sales tax, there is property tax," Rudy said. "Nobody gains from raising property taxes when they can be offset by sales tax."

City of Oak Ridge North, Bob Williams Memorial Council Chambers, 27424 Robinson Road, 281-292-4648, www.oakridgenorth.com