The Metropolitan Planning Commission approved the use a Juvenile Mental Health facility on property out near the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility. An appeal was made to the nine member Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals. Tonight eight members heard the appeal and five members voted to uphold the appeal, rejecting the use on the property. You can watch the entire meeting here
The Knox County Law Director Representative did his best to warn and guide the BZA that denying the use is an ADA (Americans with Disability Act) and a Fair Housing issue.
One member made inflammatory comments about this is NOT ADA but children not raised right. Another member appeared to be asleep for several minutes. Granted the meeting began at 1:30 pm and didn’t adjourn until 9:30 pm with several breaks in between and an Agenda Review meeting from NOON until 12:45 pm, but how can you make an informed decision, if you missed portions of the meeting?
Surely, the facility will seek a review by a court of law and to me it seems like these five BZA members will be overturned. BZA members Patricia Williams, Jamey Row, Rebecca Longmire, Cecil Anderson and Bob Thompson voted to affirm the appeal, not allowing the property to be used in a mental health rehabilitative use. Thompson announced afterwards that he will be resigning the BZA to give someone else from South Knox County a chance to serve and said he wanted to wait until this issue was settled.
