The Planning Commission is a regulatory body appointed by the Jonesborough Board of Mayor and Aldermen, and members are appointed to three (3) year terms. The Commission is given authority through the State Legislature to approve site plans for businesses and subdivisions, and to approve plans for new streets, sidewalks, street lighting, points of ingress and egress, utility installation, and lot layout in new developments. The Commission also approves building placement for compliance with setback requirements from property lines when necessary.
9 members – 3 year terms
3rd Tuesday of each month
6 pm Town Hall Board Room
The Planning Commission meets regularly the third Tuesday of each month, and reviews and approves commercial site plans, subdivision plans, signage, re-zoning and variance requests. All Planning Commission meetings are open to the public.
| Shawn Marshall | Building Inspector – Contact Person | 423.753.1035 |
| Tom Foster | Chairman | |
| Jimmy Rhein | Vice- Chairman | |
| Nick Vest | Secretary | |
| Frank Collins | Historic Zoning Commission Rep | |
| Bill Graham | ||
| Bryan Barnett | ||
| Hal Knight | ||
| Josh Conger | Mayor Representative – Co-term | |
| Terry Countermine | Alderman – Co-term |
Many requests for Planning Commission approval require specific information to be provided. The Building Inspector will provide guidance on what information must be submitted, as well as the submittal deadline in order to be on the agenda of the Planning Commission. Information received is reviewed by staff and staff recommendations in the form of “Agenda Presentations” are sent to the Planning Commission members in advance of the meetings. These recommendations are open to the public and can be obtained from Town Hall once they have been sent to Commission members for review and consideration.
The Planning Commission will review ordinance changes in many areas like zoning, subdivision regulations, and buffering and areas required for landscaping prior to a recommendation going to the Jonesborough Board of Mayor and Aldermen for formal approval. All re-zoning requests must go to the Planning Commission for review prior to being considered by the Town Board.
Board of Zoning Appeals
The Planning Commission serves as the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA). The BZA will formally meet before or after the regular Planning Commission meeting when needed. The BZA formally addresses requests for variances. Most often the variance requests are for reduced setbacks, or smaller lot size, but they address any variances of the Zoning Ordinance. A request of the BZA should be initiated through the Jonesborough Building Inspector. An appropriate sign must be posted in public view on the property in which a variance has been requested, and the sign is normally posted seven (7) days in advance of the meeting date. Adjoining property owners also must be notified of the request and meeting date prior to the BZA considering the variance request. The BZA is a quasi-judicial body that will consider the request and the BZA has sole authority for the approval of a variance.
Regional
The “Regional” aspect of the Planning Commission is based on a planning region that extends beyond Jonesborough’s city limits. Currently, Jonesborough’s planning region more or less coincides with the Town’s Urban Growth Boundary. The Jonesborough Planning Commission has approval authority of subdivisions within the Jonesborough planning region. The Jonesborough Planning Commission is also asked to make recommendations to the Washington County Commission on rezoning requests in Washington County outside of Jonesborough’s city limits but in Jonesborough’s planning region.
Most sign requests within Jonesborough must be approved by the Planning Commission except in the historic zones where zone approval is the responsibility of the Historic Zoning Commission. Sign Request form can be downloaded.
Jonesborough Regional Planning Commission: Related Information
Jonesborough Code of Ordinances
Jonesborough Subdivision Regulations
Jonesborough’s Urban Growth Boundary Map Planning Region (obtain access by calling the Building Inspector at 423.753.1035)
Washington County Subdivision Regulations
Meeting Schedule
The Jonesborough Regional Planning Commission meets regularly the third Tuesday of each month. Meetings are held at 6 pm in the Board Room at Town Hall, 123 Boone Street in Jonesborough. Called meetings may be scheduled when needed, and when occurring, a meeting notice and agenda are published in the newspaper. All meetings are posted on the Community Bulletin Board at Town Hall, and can be found on the Town’s online calendar.
Request to come before the Planning Commission
All requests to seek Planning Commission review and approval must be submitted to the Jonesborough Building Inspector who has an office at Town Hall 423.753.1035. Many requests for Planning Commission approval require specific information to be provided. The Building Inspector will provide guidance on what information must be submitted, as well as the deadline it must be received in order to be on the agenda of the Planning Commission. Information received is reviewed by staff and staff recommendations in the form of “Agenda Presentations” are sent to the Planning Commission members in advance of the meetings. These recommendations are open to the public and can be obtained from Town Hall once they have been sent to Commission members for review and consideration.
Rezoning
Rezoning requests may be initiated through the Jonesborough Building Inspector. Rezoning requests require an appropriate sign be posted in public view on the property in which the request for a change in zone is being made. The sign must be posted ten (10) days in advance of the Planning Commission date in which the rezoning is being considered. Adjacent property owners must be notified of the rezoning request and meeting date prior to the meeting the request is considered by the Commission. A rezoning application form must be filled out and a rezoning request fee of $250.00 be paid in advance of the required sign posting and neighbor notification. Rezoning request acted on by the Planning Commission are sent to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, and the Town Board must approve the rezoning by ordinance on two readings.
| Rezoning Review Fees | |
| Single-family Residential Rezonings (less than 5 Acres) | $200.00 |
| Single-family Residential Rezonings (5 Acres or Greater)
and all multi-family and non-residential rezonings less than 20 Acres |
$400.00 |
| Any rezoning of 20 Acres & greater | $500.00 |
Sign Requests
New signage for commercial buildings or changes in existing business signage of any kind must be permitted. New signage and changes in sign structure or size normally must be approved in advance by the Planning Commission. A sign application must be completed, and application forms for signage can be obtained from the Building Inspector at Town Hall.
Sign requests within the H-1 or H-2 Historic Zones in Jonesborough must be reviewed and approved only by the Historic Commission in advance of their use. Sign requests within the historic districts also must be initiated by application through the Building Inspector.
Note on Planning Commission Authority
The Jonesborough Planning Commission operates under policies adopted by the Jonesborough Board of Mayor and Aldermen, however, the Planning Commission has sole approval authority on subdivision regulations, lighting and sign regulations. The Commission must review and recommend rezoning requests, but final approval of rezoning actions is by the Jonesborough Board of Mayor and Aldermen if the request is within the town limits. Approval by the BMA must be in the form of an ordinance that requires two separate readings and a public hearing before the second and final reading.
Payment of fees and proper applications submitted guarantees a review and consideration by the Planning Commission, but not approval.
Plan Review Fees
To qualify for most planning, building, or development activities/processes, the correct plan review fee payment must made to the Town of Jonesborough prior to receiving final approval by Town Administrative Staff or Board.
