Church’s attorney says it will not seek rezoning
Letter asserts RV park is an ‘evangelical mission’
Covenant Life Church, a “charismatic” congregation in Norris, has told the city through the church’s attorney that it “does not intend to apply for a rezoning” of its property to allow for a campground/RV park, which the church already built two years ago without first obtaining the permits Norris requires for such an enterprise.
The RV park sits behind and beside the church, which fronts on Andersonville Highway. Entrance to the RV park is off Norris Freeway, across from Cross Pike Road.
“The Church (together with its 500+ congregation) intends to rely on state and federal laws that protect the Church from unduly burdensome, unreasonable, or discriminatory zoning or land use regulations,” Knoxville lawyer Daniel A. Sanders wrote to the Norris city attorney in a letter dated Nov. 1.
In that letter, Sanders asserts that the Solid Rock RV Park, which has 16 spaces and its own website where would-be visitors can make reservations, is merely a ministry of the church and does not charge people to stay in the park.
Sanders, in the letter, asserts that “…the Church provides overnight parking and accommodation to congregants, missionaries and others in need as a form of Christian retreat and an exercise of deeply held religious belief. I am informed that no commercial transactions are involved.
“Rather, the Church accepts offerings essential to the maintenance of its facilities on a free-will [sic] basis. Individuals who utilize the overnight parking areas receive prayer and reading of Holy Scripture. They are expected to attend worship services, commune with Church leaders, and participate in other religious programs available on the Church property.”
However, the church’s actual practices, at least until recently, have not seemed to follow those guidelines. No mention was made on the RV park’s website of the optional nature of the camping fees or that campers would be required to participate in the church’s religious activities.
And in the lead-up to the church’s recent antique car show on the church grounds, the published flyer promoting the show offered guests the option of making reservations to stay in the RV park, and made no mention of those restrictions.
Norris Planning Commission members were given copies of the letter from Sanders prior to the commission’s meeting Monday night (Nov. 7) by Mayor Chris Mitchell, but the commission did not discuss it.
Mitchell told the commission members that they did not need to discuss the issue at that time, as they would not have a role in responding to the letter or taking action against the church for the alleged violations of the city’s zoning and building ordinances.
Those actions are within the authority of the City Council, rather than the Planning Commission, the mayor said.
Church attorney Sanders did not respond to The Courier News’ request for comment about Covenant Life’s position on the zoning and land-use issues.
Through its city attorney, Norris on Oct. 21 asked Covenant Life to apply no later than Nov. 1 to seek rezoning of the property on which the church built the RV park/campground in 2020 without first obtaining the zoning change or any planning approvals or building permits the city requires.
In a letter dated Oct. 21 from Norris City Attorney P. Edward Pratt to Sanders, Pratt wrote:
“A review of the City of Norris’ records revealed that Covenant Life has not applied for nor received approval for the development of an RV Park or any of the required permits, which is in direct violation of the City Code.”
The letter further stated:
“Pursuant to … City Code, failure to comply with the City Code is unlawful and the Building Inspector or other appropriate authority may institute an injunction or another appropriate action to correct or abate such violations.
“Thus, if Covenant Life fails to correct the violations … in connection with the development of Solid Rock RV Park and any other construction on the property, action will be taken by the City of Norris to abate such violations without further notice.”
The letter to the church’s attorney also laid out the alleged violations: “Specifically, the property is located in the Professional and Civic (P-1) zoning district, which does not allow RV parks as a permitted use. …
“Further, the previously approved Site Plan for the church building did not include the development of an RV park. As stated above, Covenant Life has not obtained the required building permits or certificate of occupancy for any structures related to the RV park.”
The letter then lists “Corrective Actions Required” by the church, including:
“Because of the ongoing violations, the Covenant Life matter is on the agenda for the Norris Municipal Planning Commission Meeting scheduled for November 7, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. [the following is in boldface type:] Therefore, an application to the Norris Municipal Planning Commission for the proposed rezoning of the property should be submitted by Covenant Life by Tuesday, November 1, 2022 [end boldface type].”
If such rezoning was successful, the church then would be “required to submit a proposed site plan for the RV Park to the Norris Municipal Planning Commission,” and then to make “applications for building permits and soil grading permits,” in accordance with city code, the letter noted.
