Washington County Commission defers decision on County Farm property

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) – For months, non-profit Unity Housing has been working with the Washington County, Tennessee Commission to take county-owned property on Zeke Crawford Road and use it to help those experiencing homelessness following hospital stay.

“The proposal is regarding the establishment of a medical respite facility,” said Opal Frye-Clark, president and co-founder of Unity Housing. “Most of us are able to go home to a roof over our heads when we’re recovering from a surgery or a procedure or whatever your hospitalization may render. And this is for those folks who need continued recovery.”

At a Monday meeting, the commission discussed two proposals regarding the property.

“The first decision was on a seven-acre parcel on the larger lot that’s 47 acres,” said Commissioner Jodi Jones. Jones serves as the chair of the County-Owned Property Committee, which set forth the proposals. “The commission was asked to consider auctioning that portion of the property.”

“The second decision was to form a special committee to further investigate whether or not Unity Housing would be a good non-profit to put on a portion of that property,” Jones continued.

The commission deferred both resolutions for further discussion. For Frye-Clark, the decision makes the process more difficult.

“My main point of frustration is simply that the work is being prohibited from progressing in a productive way,” Frye-Clark said.

But for Jones, the decision will help them find the best solution for everyone.

“When they go back, they’re going to sort of reprocess the information using what we heard tonight,” Jones said. “And hopefully bring a solution to the full commission, one that at least most people can get behind.”

Jones also added that this isn’t a decision that can be agreed upon in one meeting.

“I think it is going to take some time and a lot of discussion and meetings like tonight where a lot of questions are asked,” said Jones.

Jones said there is no set date as to when the proposals will be discussed again.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.