Opinion ID: 1727552
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Batesville's Need for Expansion

Text: ¶ 9. The Chancellor found that Batesville had evidenced a need to expand. Specifically, the court looked to the residential, commercial, and industrial development occurring along Highway 35, Brewer Road, Highway 6, Sherwood Forest Estates (which already had been furnished municipal services), Good Hope Road, Cotton Plant Road, Trantham Road, and the Fox Meadows subdivision. The Chancellor also took notice of the small percentage of developable land available within the current city limits. ¶ 10. Batesville supported its claim that expansion was needed by pointing out the upward trend of the population growth within the city (673 persons over the last 7 years) and the annexation area and the issuance of new building permits within the city (275 permits over the last 7 years, including 9 permits for the construction of public buildings and one large retail outlet mall). Batesville also offered proof that by 1997 only 21% of the land currently existing in the city was vacant and had development potential. Its expert testified that when a city reaches a 60% level of development, annexation was needed to meet the growth trend, and Batesville had already reached a 79% level of development. ¶ 11. The COA argues that the relevant question is not whether Batesville needs to expand, but how much it needs to expand. Even the Chancellor opined that this expansion was admittedly aggressive, as Batesville is seeking to add some twenty square miles, which would more than double its current size. The COA contends that the Chancellor should have quantified Batesville's need and provided for only a moderate expansion in keeping with its proven need to expand. ¶ 12. The COA points out that Batesville did not introduce any population density or annual acreage development studies. It also demonstrates that Batesville has expanded by about 155 acres per year for the past 3 years, and, that if this rate of expansion remains constant, it would take 12 years to develop all of the available land within the current city limits. ¶ 13. The COA points out that testimony at trial showed that there was developable residential land available within the current city limits and the undisputed annexation areas, and that there is little room for residential, commercial, or industrial development in the areas that are disputed, as most of those areas have already been developed and serve as residential and agricultural development. ¶ 14. We are not persuaded that the city has demonstrated a need for such an expansive annexation in toto. The uncontested annexation area consists of 4,800 acres of land, or 7.5 square miles, which would represent almost 40% of Batesville's incorporated limits after annexation. [4] The undisputed area is ripe for annexation; it contains virtually undeveloped land, and many property owners there favor the annexation. In fact, plans are currently being made for a new hospital and other residential, commercial, and industrial developments. Batesville has annexed this territory at a crucial time to ensure orderly development. ¶ 15. Batesville has also demonstrated a need to expand into the disputed Brewer Road area, which is approximately 1,400 acres or 2.2 square miles. Testimony at trial revealed that the Brewer Road Area was essential to the annexation. Brewer Road is a vital line of communication, as it is one of only four routes that will link the older part of Batesville west of I-55 to the new annexed areas east of I-55. Along this road, residents are provided municipal water services, and sewer and gas improvements are planned. Extension of these utilities will provide services, not only for the Brewer Road Area, but for the uncontested annexation areas to the immediate north and south of the Brewer Road Area, including the Bethlehem Road Area and the Corridor 6 North Area. A review of the Appendix A map reveals that it would be illogical to leave the Brewer Road area out of the annexation in light of the newly annexed areas immediately adjacent to the north and south. Allowing annexation of the Brewer Road Area will also give Batesville a somewhat contiguous eastern boundary. This Court has considered the need for access to other areas as a factor for determining the reasonableness of annexation of a particular tract of land; otherwise, there would be a hole in the city after annexation. See City of Greenville v. Farmers, Inc., 513 So.2d 932 (Miss.1987). The Brewer Road Area and the uncontested areas add 6,200 acres or 9.7 square miles to Batesville's current 11.8 square miles, and provide ample opportunities for growth and development. In conclusion, this factor tends to weigh against the reasonableness of the annexation for the E½-Corridor 6 South Area, but in favor of annexation of the disputed Brewer Road Area.