The areas of Baileyton Road and West Andrew Johnson Highway near Mosheim have the most potential for future growth, according to a discussion Thursday morning at a workshop to develop a 20-year comprehensive plan for Greeneville.

Thirty-five city officials and local business leaders attended a two-and-a-half-hour workshop at the General Morgan Inn, continuing work they started in a similar meeting one month ago.

The group's task is to provide advice for a new 20-year comprehensive plan that is needed to update information in Greeneville's Summary Plan adopted in 1979.

The new plan also is needed to assure that Greeneville continues to be eligible for state grant funds, including those offered through the Three-Star Program of the Department of Economic and Community Development.

The city's comprehensive plan must be adopted by the Greeneville Regional Planning Commission before it becomes official.

On Thursday, participants were asked by Randy Harrell, president of the Greene County Partnership, to determine where growth should begin within the next six months.

Those participating split into six small groups and reviewed maps of Greeneville and its Urban Growth Boundary, which surrounds the designated area for potential annexation by Greeneville.

After small-group discussions for nearly an hour, representatives from each group presented their findings.

Many of the participants said the city should consider growth in areas that have existing city sewer and other infrastructure because development in these areas would be less costly.

Bob Cantler, general manager of Morgan Square Development Group, said his group focused on three main areas:

* downtown redevelopment;

* cleanup and industrial development along Baileyton Road near the Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport; and

* growth in southern Greene County, between the Nolichucky River and the city.

Cantler also said there is a need for Greeneville's population to grow by 5,000 residents to make the city more viable for attracting new retail businesses and restaurants.

Greeneville Alderman Ginny Kidwell said her group looked at all entranceways to Greeneville:

* East and West Andrew Johnson Highway;

* the Asheville Highway;

* the Newport Highway and

* the Baileyton Road.

She said topographic maps should be reviewed before planning for growth takes place.

Growth near the airport needs more study, she added.

Tony Hughes, operations supervisor for ATMOS Energy, said his group focused on development along Baileyton Road and also studied the areas of:

* West Andrew Johnson Highway near Mosheim;

* eastern Greene County around Tusculum;

* and Buckingham Road.

Greeneville Fire Chief Mark Foulks recommended a bypass road from southern Greene County to the Tri-Cities. He said development should be controlled in this area so that it does not become as populated as is Andrew Johnson Highway.

The area along Baileyton Road near the airport has great potential for commercial development, he said.

Industrial development, he said, could take place between the Newport Highway and West Andrew Johnson Highway in the area of Hal Henard Road.

Both sides of West Andrew Johnson Highway inside Greeneville's Urban Growth Boundary should be annexed within the next three to five years, he said.

Foulks also recommended industrial growth in western Greene County and residential growth in the area of Buckingham Road.

Sam Riley said his group discussed residential growth in southern Greene County.

Greeneville Police Chief Terry Cannon said development would be more feasible there because sewer exists between the city and the area of East Allens Bridge Road.

Riley said the group also discussed industrial development near Mosheim and issues similar to those presented by the other groups.

He said the most important corridor for development would be that of Baileyton Road.

Jeff Dupree, facilities and projects engineer at John Deere Power Products Inc., said his group focused on industrial growth in the area of Hal Henard Road to the Mt. Pleasant Industrial Park.

He also recommended providing park space near the airport and better access to the airport.

After the presentations, Glenn Rosenoff, regional director of the state Local Planning Assistance Office in Johnson City, said the group's members are "heading in the right direction" when looking at development around existing infrastructure.

He said Greeneville is fortunate to have a large Urban Growth Boundary, compared with other cities.

The workshop was opened by Greeneville Mayor Darrell Bryan, who said the comprehensive planning process is the most important thing the city is doing at this time.

"Until we have a plan, and know where we need to go, we're kind of at a standstill," Mayor Bryan said.

For the next step in the process, he said Laura Johnson, the city's intern planner, will organize the ideas presented in the workshop.

Johnson said another workshop will be scheduled in the next two to three weeks.

Harrell told participants that the goal of the comprehensive planning process is "to develop a strategic plan that will guide city policy choices about growth and development."

When complete, the GCP's president said, the comprehensive plan "will be a document that describes the most desirable future conditions of the city of Greeneville."

More specifically, he said, the comprehensive plan will:

* include maps, graphics and text describing current and desired future conditions as decided by the local community;

* indicate local goals, objectives and policies for future growth;

* propose generally where future development should occur based on local input;

* provide recommendations for future roads, utilities, parks and community facilities;

* include strategies for open space and natural area preservation;

* provide recommendations for how future developments should appear;

* include strategies for jobs and tax-based growth; and

* address future growth.

Once adopted, Harrell said, the comprehensive plan can:

* lead to consistent day-to-day decision-making on land development and redevelopment issues;

* help balance community goals with private interest in land use;

* manage growth or redevelopment so that it does not occur in a haphazard pattern;

* help spend public money wisely and grow effectively so that service costs do not result in a heavy tax burden on property owners; and

* help preserve the character and resources of the area.

The plan will be divided into three basic principles, he said:

* land use;

* quality of life; and

* community facilities and services.

For Greeneville, he said, the key planning concepts will be:

* downtown Greeneville;

* Rediscover Greeneville;

* the airport;

* residential neighborhoods;

* commercial land uses, including service and retail;

* industrial land uses;

* natural setting, such as green and open space;

* transportation; and

* future growth.

Before the workshop concluded, Brad Peters, Greeneville's city engineer, spoke about state road projects that recently were ranked by members of the First Tennessee Rural Planning Organization (RPO).

He said the two sections of the so-called Greeneville Bypass, known locally as the "bypass around the bypass" or the northern loop, were ranked fifth and sixth by the RPO.

Also ranked in the top six, Peters said, were the three sections of the planned new Newport Highway, along with one smaller project in Unicoi County.

He said another meeting on the road projects is scheduled this spring.