Norris church’s case over RV park dismissed, permit to rezone denied

NORRIS, Tenn. (WATE) — The legal dispute over an RV operated by a church in Norris has come to a close after the case was dismissed and the church’s application to rezone the area was denied.

Between 2022 and 2023, the city building inspector issued three stop-work orders to Covenant Life Church over the RV park known as the “Solid Rock Retreat.” However, those orders were ignored, and Covenant Life Church sued the city, which then moved the case to federal court.

In May, 6 News reported that a federal judge granted a permanent injunction against Covenant Life Church , prohibiting them from operating an RV park unless they got the necessary permits. The joint motion to dismiss, which was filed on October 3, turned the injunction into the final judgment.

According to court documents, all of the claims brought by the church and the city were dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled. In addition, Covenant Life is required to pay all court costs, while the city and the church are responsible for their own discretionary costs and attorney fees.

In an application dated June 4, 2024, the church filed to rezone 3.3 acres of property from a “Professional, Civic District” (P-1) to a “Commercial District” (C-2) The city council first voted to deny the rezoning during their July meeting and a public hearing was set for August 12. During the regular meeting following the hearing, the city council voted to deny the application again. According to the meeting minutes, no representative from Covenant Life Church was present at either meeting.

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