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Cleveland OKs annex near I-75

By: Randall Higgins
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Steve Morgan

CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The City Council on Monday unanimously rejected annexation of two areas of residential population but approved taking into Cleveland an area ripe for commercial development.

The council agreed to go ahead with annexation plans for an area near Interstate 75’s exit 20, a mostly vacant spot expected to grow into commercial and residential areas in the near future.

Council members turned down annexation of two populated areas, both near the APD-40 and U.S. Highway 64 interchange east of Cleveland.

A large number of residents from those areas objected to annexation during a public hearing last week, and the City Planning Commission also advised against annexation of one of those.

“I appreciate the input last week,” Councilman Richard Banks said.

Mr. Banks said the city cannot afford those annexations now.

Last week city school officials said those annexations would add about 300 children to the city school system.

“That’s what a public hearing is for, to get your opinion,” Mayor Tom Rowland said to the audience. “Without that, the council wouldn’t have an idea how you felt about it.”

An area southeast of exit 20 is still slated to be annexed by the end of the year.

The exit 20 area is within the city’s urban growth boundary but not within the city limits.

The council also on Monday authorized Mayor Rowland to send a letter to Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis to reconvene the urban growth committee to look at expanding the growth boundary near exit 20.

In recent weeks both city and county officials have said they expect the area to develop quickly with the Volkswagen plant under constructed at Chattanooga’s Enterprise South just more than 10 miles away.

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