Opinion ID: 1140279
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Is SW Portion Reasonably within the Path of City's Growth?

Text: Lanny McKay, a community planner with the Research and Development Center, testified that Booneville's normal path of growth was in all directions, with the northwestern section being the strongest. A map of existing businesses, industries and residences in the annexation area, indicates that industry is springing up in the proposed annexation area in all directions and locating primarily around the larger highways and bypasses. McKay explained that the location of such highways and bypasses provides a good way to determine a city's path of growth. Highway 45 which runs through the center of the city from the southwest corner to the north has industrial/commercial development at both ends, north of Booneville and southwest of Booneville. In the area south of Booneville industry is located on Meadow and Meadow Creek Roads. The largest industrial/commercial growth is in the east/southeast where the Highway 30/4 bypass is located. A Highway 4 bypass is scheduled to be constructed from the east corner of the corporate limits then north and finally west through the northern part of the annexation area. This bypass will intersect proposed Highway 45 bypass which will hit the annexation area in the west section and travel through the northwest section of the annexation area. McKay testified that these two bypasses would lead to increased residential and commercial development in those areas, which according to the map would be the western, northwestern and northern portions of the annexation area. Objectors submit that when the Highway 45 bypass is completed it will lead businesses and residents away from old Highway 45 and, therefore, annexation of the southwestern portion of the proposed annexation area is unreasonable. (Old Highway 45 runs through the southwest portion.) However, Objectors offered no proof at trial that this phenomenon would occur. The chancellor found that Booneville's reasonable path of growth was in all directions, with less emphasis to the southwest. We are of the opinion that the Objectors' speculation on the future of the southwest portion should not result in a finding of manifest error, particularly in light of McKay's testimony that Booneville's path of growth was in all directions.