Kingsport Approves Quarry Expansion 6-1, 200 Yards From an Elementary School

The Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a rezoning request allowing expansion of a quarry off Airport Parkway on second reading Tuesday, Aug. 4, in a 6-1 vote. Mayor Paul Montgomery cast the only no vote. The quarry, owned by Martin Marietta, sits about 200 yards from Holston Elementary School.

What did the Kingsport BMA actually approve?

A rezoning of land adjacent to the existing Martin Marietta quarry near the Tri-Cities Airport, clearing the way for expansion. It passed on second and final reading 6-1. School leaders and nearby residents had raised concerns about the effect on homes and on Holston Elementary. Martin Marietta has said there would be a 100-foot buffer between the rezoned property and adjacent property owners. The same meeting also produced approval of a police body camera agreement.

How does a quarry expansion affect nearby home values?

Industrial adjacency is a disclosure and a discount, and the size of both depends on distance and buffering. Blasting schedules, truck traffic on Airport Parkway and dust are the practical concerns buyers raise, and the 100-foot buffer is narrow relative to what most residential neighbors would want. Homes immediately adjacent should expect appraisers and buyers to treat this as a locational factor. Homes a half-mile out and beyond typically see no measurable effect. The more durable value question in that corridor is the airport-area industrial employment base, which supports demand for exactly the price points near the site.

What is the Tri-Cities housing market doing right now?

Still firmly in sellers' territory. The June median sales price was $308,750, up 4.7% from June 2025, with 812 closings (up 3.8%) and median inventory easing to 3.75 months from 3.89.

Any inventory reading of 5.5 months or less favors sellers, and the Tri-Cities has not been above 3.9 months at any point this year. But the 4.7% June price gain only barely cleared the 4.2% inflation rate running in May — a half point of inflation would erase the region's real gain. Forecasters expect Tri-Cities prices to hold roughly flat through year-end, with the 30-year fixed rate at a yearly high of 6.76%.

What this means if you own or buy here

• Homeowners near Airport Parkway: the expansion is approved, not proposed. If you plan to sell in the next few years, document the buffer distance and blasting schedule now — informed buyers price uncertainty worse than they price facts.
• Kingsport sellers generally: Kingsport-Bristol gained just 2.04% in the first half while Johnson City ran +10.5%. Do not price off Johnson City headlines.
• Buyers: new listings are down 4.6% while sales are up. At 3.75 months of supply, well-priced move-in-ready homes still go fast. The negotiating room is in fix-up and overpriced inventory that has aged past 67 days.
• Anyone waiting on rates: the Fed held steady at its last meeting with three members wanting an increase. There is no near-term relief priced in at 6.76%.
• Move-up sellers: in a market where overpriced listings sit and move-in-ready homes fly, the risk is sequencing. A guaranteed-sale plan* sets your sale date so you can shop the next house with a firm closing in hand.

Sources: Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, Aug. 4, 2026 (Kingsport Times News and WJHL, Aug. 4-5, 2026); Northeast Tennessee Association of REALTORS June 2026 report (published July 9, 2026) and NETAR Market Pulse, Aug. 2, 2026.

*Tracy and seller must agree on price and possession date