Court action looms over RV park
Norris city officials on Monday night moved a step closer to taking legal action against Covenant Life Church that could eventually result in shutting down a recreational vehicle park that the church built in 2020 without gaining the required city approval or proper zoning.
During its monthly meeting Monday, the Norris Planning Commission debated what its next moves should be in the city’s battle with the church over the RV park, especially since the church’s representative failed to show up as promised at the meeting.
The commission had expected church representative Carl Beaty to appear to discuss plans for possibly bringing the RV park into compliance with city zoning regulations by formally requesting a zoning change to accommodate the business.
“I’d like to know what the next steps are,” Mayor Chris Mitchell said when it became clear no one from the church was in attendance.
“They are in violation now,” the mayor said. “They said they would be here tonight.”
City planner Kathryn Baldwin advocated immediate legal action.
“They should be cited into city court for violation of the zoning ordinance,” she said. “We are not hearing anything from the church.
“It should be automatic from your codes-enforcement officer,” Baldwin said. “This is a rarity. This is very uncommon.”
She said zoning violations usually involve minor issues, such as lot-setback requirements, but not someone building a business in a zone where it’s not allowed.
Planning Commission Chairman Joe Feeman said he would contact MTAS – the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service – to “see what they have to say” about what actions the city could take.
“I believe it’s been going on too long,” Feeman said.
The church, which sits inside the Norris city limits on Andersonville Highway (Tenn. 61), built and opened its “Solid Rock RV Park” to the public in October 2020 without first getting its property rezoned to allow for such use, and without applying for approval of its plans or obtaining a building permit.
Now, the city has begun looking at actions it could take against the church, including forcing Covenant Life to remove the RV park if it does not apply for rezoning and submit plans that are acceptable to the city’s planning and zoning authorities and the City Council.
Beaty, who identified himself as a representative of the church, appeared before the Norris Planning Commission in September to inquire about rezoning the land upon which the RV park lies.
But the information Beaty gave to the commissioners about the facility was vague and often contradictory, and no official request for rezoning was filed.
Instead, the city was left with more questions than answers about the church’s construction and operation of the RV park, whose entrance is off Norris Freeway (U.S. 441) just across from Cross Pike Road.
The RV park has 16 spaces on a 22-acre site for motorhomes and camper trailers, along with utility hookups. The sites are advertised on the church’s separate website for the facility (thesolidrockrvpark,com).
Beaty told the commissioners repeatedly that the RV park was not intended for public use and was a “ministry” of the church intended primarily for use by visiting ministers and evangelists.
“We don’t have anything there that we rent out nightly,” Beaty said.
But the RV park’s website makes no such restrictions on customers.
In fact, a flyer the church has posted on Facebook for its annual car show coming up this weekend says, “RV camping spots available on church campus. Call to reserve or go online to www.thesolidrockrvpark.com.”
The website’s main page advertises:
“Enjoy the beauty and nature of the Clinch River and Norris Lake by staying at the newly opened Solid Rock RV Park located at 2875 Norris Fwy Andersonville, TN 37705, which is next to Covenant Life Church just past the Museum of Appalachia. Take exit 122 off I75 then its only one mile to the campground. We feature all pull thru camping spots, electricity, water, and dump services for each site.”
There is a button to click to make reservations. Rates apparently start about $75 a night.
Beaty conceded to the Planning Commission last month that “some people pay to stay there,” but continued to insist that the park is “part of our ministry … not a for-profit thing.”
New Planning Commission member Alex Monroe told fellow commissioners during Beaty’s presentation in September that he and his family found accommodations at the RV park online when they were visiting the area in preparation for their recent move to Norris.
Monroe said there was no indication on the website that the church’s facility was different from any other commercial RV park.
Beaty also initially told the Planning Commission that visitors to the RV park were not allowed to stay long-term (beyond 30 days), yet later mentioned that some visitors had stayed there six months or more.
At the September meeting, Beaty suggested that the church would like to have the property rezoned from its current P-1 designation – professional use that does not allow for any residential use – to a commercial C-2 designation, which would allow for an RV park.
Commissioners cautioned Beaty that the church might lose its nonprofit tax-exempt status on the property if such a rezoning were to occur. The church currently pays no property taxes on its campus or facilities.
“The property becomes eligible for property tax and sales tax if it’s rezoned and generates revenue,” city planner Kathryn Baldwin told Beaty.
Mitchell said Tuesday morning that he and Feeman would be looking at the legal options the city has in enforcing its zoning laws in connection with the RV park.
“We are researching what our next steps should be,” the mayor said. We are not ignoring this.”
The Norris church is part of Covenant Life Church Inc., a non-denominational, evangelical megachurch in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which was established in 1977. It has multiple branches in several U.S. states and foreign countries.