Latest news with #JohnsonCityCommission
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Johnson City Horizon 2045 project in final phase
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – For the last two years, Johnson City leaders have conducted citizen surveys and launched research projects into what the future of the city should look like. Thursday, the Johnson City Commission held a work session during which commissioners discussed updates to the city's Horizon 2045 project. Johnson City launches advisory committee for 'Horizon 2045' growth plan The joint session with the city planning commission went over the plan for the final phase of the project. During that time, planning consultant for Johnson City Whitney Hodges said officials have been listening to what the public said they want to see in Johnson City. 'We've had a citizen advisory commission just to kind of look through what we currently do, what we would like to see in the future, and kind of develop tools in order to create that vision,' said Hodges. 'We have done three kind of traditional public input sessions. We've done, I think, 15 different pop-up events where we've gone out to the public to ask their opinions. And then we've had 3-4, I would say, different online engagement.' A future land use map was shown in the presentation. Hodges said the map displays a vision for the mix and distribution of what land across Johnson City could be used for. Some of the uses include downtown, neighborhoods, and industrial. 'They are place-type designations,' said Hodges. 'Those place types will have kind of attributes and characteristics so that as we make decisions, it can give us some guidance as to what the community wanted to see at the time in order to create the vision that they're looking for, for Johnson City.' The land use map will be available to be viewed by the public starting Friday morning on the Horizon 2024 website. Hodges encourages the community to comment on what they want to see from the plan. 'There's a 30-day public comment period,' said Hodges. 'And we will give those comments to both the Planning Commission and the City Commission because both of those entities are willing to adopt this plan in order for it to be enforceable.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Johnson City Commission votes to donate police car to N.C., approves ETSU Ashe Street lease
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Johnson City Commission hosted a meeting on Thursday to approve a police car donation and an East Tennessee State University (ETSU) lease agreement. The commission voted to declare a 2015 Ford Explorer surplus and donate it to the Spruce Pine Police Department in North Carolina. Hurricane Helene destroyed Spruce Pine's entire sewer system and other infrastructure. The Johnson City Commission partnered with East Tennessee State University (ETSU) to approve a five-year lease agreement for the old courthouse at 401 Ashe Street. The annual lease payment will be $64,800. Assistant City Manager Alicia Summers said the new lease agreement would benefit the college community. Johnson City Commission approves initial plan for data center rezoning Also at the meeting, residents voiced concerns about an initial plan for data center rezoning that was approved on May 1. The building will be utilized by the Department of Art and Design, the Reece Museum, Appalachian Studies and the College of Business and Technology's Entrepreneurship Center. The commission approved an Economic Impact Plan for the Brush Creek (Burlington Mill) Development Project. The commission proclaimed June 1-7 as Garden Week in Johnson City. Five bids were discussed at the meeting, including the addition of portable and mobile radios for the Johnson City Public Works Department. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BrightRidge pauses any new data center projects
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — With community concerns growing over a potential south Johnson City site for a Bitcoin mine or data center, BrightRidge announced a halt to 'entertaining proposals for new data center projects in our service area…' Nolichucky raft guides likely to lose 2025 season in Gorge The moratorium includes 'the one being considered in south Johnson City,' which neighboring residents have spoken out against. That opposition has come during Johnson City Commission meetings as the city considers implementing new zoning regulations that would put some guardrails around data centers. Opponents have primarily decried the noise many data centers make as massive fans cool the computers that perform complex computations for everything from artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency. BrightRidge's statement Tuesday says the power provider 'values the perspectives of the region's leadership and the long-term economic health of the communities we serve when considering the feasibility of any new development in our region.' The power distributor acknowledged publicly for the first time that it was considering a data center or cryptocurrency mine for property it bought in an I-2 (light industrial) zone last year near one of its substations. A Bitcoin mine in Limestone that buys power from BrightRidge must close by next March as part of a lawsuit settlement, and the south Johnson City site could have been a replacement location. BrightRidge now writes that 'in the case of the south Johnson City project and other similar projects in the near term, the costs currently outweigh the benefits for the communities we serve.' Sylvain Bruni lives near the south Johnson City site and has been among those questioning both the City of Johnson City and BrightRidge about the prospect of a data center there. The Washington County Democratic Party adopted a resolution opposing 'Under-regulation of Cryptocurrency Mining Facilities in Johnson City' Monday night. Bruni welcomed the news of BrightRidge's moratorium but said the general concerns remain. He said citizens need to know the moratorium's timeline and whether any other projects currently in the pipeline could still move forward. Bruni also said the announcement doesn't 'address the specific concerns that neighbors have provided, that is, x, y and z safeguards need to be in place to address the concerns of residents.' Bruni said BrightRidge may have addressed all those concerns, but he believes the lack of clarity on that points to another major concern he has, regarding transparency. 'Knowing where we are in terms of citizens' trust in their government, and the City of Johnson City and BrightRidge, why approach it with less than adequate transparency?' Bruni asked. 'We need to make sure we hold them accountable, so we will continue to have public meetings about it.' The entire BrightRidge statement is below. The utility said it will have 'no further comment' beyond the statement. BrightRidge values the perspectives of the region's leadership and the long-term economic health of the communities we serve when considering the feasibility of any new development in our region. For this reason, BrightRidge is putting a moratorium on entertaining proposals for new data center projects in our service area, including the one being considered in south Johnson City. BrightRidge is a proud regional leader in the adoption and deployment of innovative technology, and we are fully aware of the many benefits a next-generation data center could bring to the communities we serve. However, in the case of the south Johnson City project and other similar projects in the near term, the costs currently outweigh the benefits for the communities we serve. The site in south Johnson City is zoned for industrial use and retains great value to BrightRidge and our customers as a potential power substation and/or a wholesale electricity delivery point for a future industrial user. For this site and others, BrightRidge remains committed to working collaboratively with community leaders to identify future industrial projects that will deliver economic development, create great jobs, and maintain low power bills to the residents we serve. The data center facility located in Limestone, which is currently operating under a settlement agreement with Washington County, remains on track for closure in March 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Crypto mine regs move to JC commission — more work to do on noise
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Zoning updates to regulate noise and other impacts from cryptocurrency mines and data centers are headed to the Johnson City Commission after planning commissioners approved them Tuesday, though the work is not yet complete. 'We are at least putting a Band-Aid on a risk that we're taking by not having any regulations on these,' planning staffer Brice McNamer told commissioners. A more complete fix, he said, will require more research into how the city can best set requirements to limit noise impacts, which have created the most complaints about such facilities around the country. Staff spent months studying data centers and cryptocurrency mining before trying to determine where the centers should be permitted, what concerns or nuisances they cause and what mitigation efforts local governments can require to limit the negative effects. Undocumented student bill passes 8-7 in TN House committee What's currently heading to the full commission limits the centers to the I-2 (heavy industry) zones and requires the operations to be enclosed inside buildings. It also requires that any center be at least 200 feet from the nearest residence and include visual screening. But planning commissioners and McNamer acknowledged the regulations don't yet adequately address noise and vibrations — the most common negative impacts data centers, and particularly crypto mines, have caused. Most of the noise tends to come from cooling units needed to keep the advanced computers that 'mine' cryptocurrency or perform other data functions from overheating. 'Within the noise ordinance, we are currently looking at different amendments that can specifically address the humming and the consistency of the vibration,' McNamer said. The city's current noise ordinance allows 24-7 decibel levels up to the limit within the various zones, from residential to commercial to industrial. That means 'quasi-steady sounds' can be constant up to 50 decibels. It was those types of quasi-steady sounds that drew sharp criticism from neighbors of a Bitcoin mine in Limestone and eventually a related lawsuit. (Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are verified and 'mined' by high-powered computers performing complex algorithms.) 'What we are currently looking into and working with administration and the legal department is implementing a section within the noise ordinance that would require a noise study to be performed for each data center,' McNamer said. He said the process would be similar to traffic impact analyses that the city often requires from developers when their projects are likely to add significant traffic to an area. The city is now requesting qualifications from acoustic engineers who could help the city hone its regulation strategies even further. Asked by commissioner Bob Cooper whether he'd found any difference in noise levels between 'a vanilla data center' and a cryptocurrency mine, McNamer said he hadn't. He said the majority of community complaints have surrounded crypto mines mostly because data center operators tend to be big companies like Google and Amazon that can afford to locate further away from communities and provide any necessary mitigation. BrightRidge offered Bitcoin mine operator $100,000 incentive, said noise wouldn't be issue 'Probably when these started coming around they had a lot of issues because they were, one, not regulated, and two, they did not know exactly how to build them in compatibility to the surrounding area,' McNamer said. 'But between data center without cryptocurrency and with cryptocurrency, the noise is no different … they essentially do the same thing on the inside.' Cooper said he hoped city staff would pursue what he called the 'acoustic angle' as soon as possible. 'Sooner or later, I think we've got to get some pretty good teeth in our codes related to that,' Cooper said. 'Six inches above the equipment (for buffering) doesn't necessarily solve much of the acoustic problem, especially if the facility is a lower piece of property and the residents are up the hill.' The Johnson City Regional Planning Commission voted unanimously to move the proposed changes forward. The City Commission would need to pass the changes on three readings to approve them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hampton High School yard sale still happening despite location change
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — Hampton High School seniors had their final year disrupted by Hurricane Helene, and now the community is coming together to provide these students with a memorable prom. The yard sale at Hampton High School is an annual tradition, but this year it looks different. 'This year is going to go for prom expenses,' senior Dru Nickles said. 'Just kind of all of the expenses for senior year. And especially with our situation, we could really use some extra money.' Johnson City Commission approves $250k for Tri-Cities Airport expansion Hurricane Helene severely impacted the school and forced its relocation. This move left students feeling uncertain about their future. 'Not knowing what was going to happen for so long, it was different,' Senior Tori Casbeer said. 'It was a hard thing to hear when the school, we couldn't go back and everything.' The school took over the former Keenburg Elementary School building, which is smaller than the former high school. Both Casbeer and Nickles said the community has stepped up to help make the process easier for the students. 'So normally, we start getting donations like a month before and we just store it in like closets and everywhere we can,' Casbeer said. 'But we really don't have the space for any of that. So I think the earliest donation we got was like a week before the yard sale. So the community is really helping with bringing everything in a reasonable time. A lot of donations have been made today so that we have time to set everything up and we don't have to worry about storage.' 'The community's just really come together to make everything easier on us during this hard time,' Nickles said. Nickles added that she hopes the yard sale will benefit not only their class but also future classes. 'Just us growing together and being closer together as a community,' Nickles said. 'The yard sale will help towards prom expenses, and hopefully the class next year because we don't even know if we're going to be back yet. So hopefully that'll help them next year with expenses on their part.' Any items left after the sale will be donated to organizations in need. The sale ran from 4-7:30 p.m. on Friday and will continue on Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs basketball team will host a breakfast fundraiser at Keenburg on Saturday morning from 8-11 a.m. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the door. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
