By Bill Short
The Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously passed an ordinance on final reading this week that re-zones Commerce Place from Agricultural to Commercial.
Board members took the action Monday night during their regular monthly meeting on a motion offered by Alderman Al Bell and seconded by Alderman Mike Caruthers.
The ordinance was passed on first reading at the board’s July 13 meeting. It was recommended by the Millington Municipal Planning Commission at its June 15 meeting.
Commerce Place is located in the northeast corner of Highway 51 and state Route 385.
Charles Goforth, planning consultant for the city, told the commission that the “entire property” was originally intended to be part of the Resiliency Project.
But the owner and Shelby County have worked together and agreed to “leave out” two parcels totaling 9.887 acres that front on Highway 51.
Goforth said the property is primarily zoned A, Agricultural, with an FP, Floodplain Overlay Zone, in the “very northern tip.”
He noted that the two “out-parcels” will be accessible by a road that the county will construct through the middle of the property as a part of its Resiliency Project. And a park to be maintained by the city of Millington will be located immediately to the east.
The county and the parcels’ owner have requested that they be re-zoned B-2, General Commercial, while retaining the flood plain overlay.
Goforth called that “appropriate,” because the property to the north across Big Creek and west across Highway 51 is also zoned B-2.
“We also think it’s possible that the flood plain will be dropped some because of the flood work that’s being done upstream from this point,” he noted. “But before the property could ever be used, it would have to be filled to above the 100-year storm.”
Goforth said the maps prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency would also have to be amended to show that the property was no longer in a flood area.
At its March 16 meeting, the commission approved the Site Plan and Final Plat for the Big Creek, Shelby County National Disaster Resilience Project.
The Site Plan is divided into three areas:
Area 1, which extends from Highway 51 to Raleigh-Millington Road, will be maintained by the city. It is proposed to have an amphitheater, stage, restroom building, soccer fields, parking and a disc golf course.
Area 2, which extends from Raleigh-Millington to Singleton Parkway, will be more of a natural recreation area, with wetlands and wildlife observation. It is proposed to include trails, a shelter and a boardwalk in the environmentally sensitive area.
Area 3, extending from Singleton to Sledge Road, is proposed to include wetlands and trails and is the primary flood control component of the project.
