Washington County Sets Oct. 26 Hearing on 628 Matson Road Rezoning: Staff Backs R-1 to A-1 on 19.2 Acres

Washington County commissioners will take public comment Oct. 26, 2026, on a rezoning at 628 Matson Road in Jonesborough. A legal notice published Oct. 5 sets the hearing for 6:00 p.m. in Courtroom 7 of the George P. Jaynes Justice Center. The applicants are Adam and Lisa Barrager. County planning staff, in the Oct. 6 Regional Planning Commission packet, recommends approval of a change from R-1 Low Density Residential to A-1 General Agriculture on Tax Map 053, Parcel 078.00.

The same staff report also prints a Request Details table that lists current zoning as A-1 and requested zoning as R-1 — the reverse of the agenda title, the staff recommendation line, and the published notice. Both versions are quoted below.

The request at a glance

What staff wrote

The Oct. 6 Planning Commission agenda lists the Barrager request as “R-1 Low Density Residential District to A-1 General Agriculture District” at 628 Matson Road. Staff recommends approval of the rezoning “from R-1 to A-1, as submitted,” and says the requested A-1 district is similar in character to the surrounding area and appropriate for larger lots.

The overview says the petitioner wants the rezoning to allow construction of two single-family detached dwellings. Staff’s development-capability section explains why that points toward A-1: R-1 “limits each property to one single-family dwelling, regardless of its acreage,” while A-1 “allows for a greater variety of uses, including limited types of commercial operations, agricultural-based businesses, and multiple single-family dwellings on lots.”

Physical features: the property contains a segment of Cherokee Creek, with no mapped Flood Hazard Zone in the report. Steep elevation changes and dense vegetation are prevalent on the western portion. Public water and sewer by Johnson City service the roads and the southern and western boundaries. Matson Road is classified as a collector. Silver Maple Drive’s right-of-way adjoins the property, but the paved area ends about 75 feet short of the boundary.

Where the packet disagrees with itself

Readers should not ignore the table conflict inside the same PDF:

• Agenda title, staff recommendation, and Oct. 5 public notice describe the change as R-1 to A-1.
• The Request Details block in the staff report lists “Current Zoning A-1, General Agriculture District” and “Requested Zoning R-1, Low Density Residential District.”

The development-capability narrative matches an R-1-to-A-1 request (two dwellings need the district that allows more than one house per lot). The table looks swapped. Until Planning or the County Commission corrects the packet, print both.

Neighbors and city edge

Staff says the requested A-1 district is not located in the immediate area and that the property is bounded by Johnson City municipal limits to the south and west. Adjoining Washington County properties along W. Walnut Street / Old Jonesborough Road are mostly R-1. Johnson City properties nearby are R-2 or R-3. A-1 is described as common on larger undeveloped properties to the south and east.

For owners on Matson Road or Silver Maple Drive, the live question on Oct. 26 is whether 19.2 acres at the city edge stays in the low-density residential district or moves to general agriculture with room for a second house and other A-1 uses.

What it means for Tri-Cities homeowners

A two-house plan on 19 acres is not a subdivision headline. It is a zoning-label fight that decides how many dwellings the lot can hold by right and which accessory uses come with A-1. If you are buying next door, read the staff report’s utility and road notes: sewer is on the south and west edges, and Silver Maple’s pavement does not yet reach the property line.

If you are selling acreage along the Jonesborough–Johnson City line, buyers will ask whether the land is R-1 or A-1 and what that means for a second home, a shop, or a future split. Get the County Commission outcome in writing before you advertise a use the map does not allow.

Other recent Tri-Cities land-use items include Sullivan County Weighs Two Highway 11W Rezonings Oct. 8: B-3 Warehouses and an A-5 Farm and Johnson City Signal Project Rises $230,000: Six Intersections Get Mast Arms, Gray Gets a New Signal.

The Oct. 6 Planning Commission packet also carried other Gray subdivision prelims on the same night’s agenda, but those plats are separate files from the Barrager rezoning. Keep Matson Road’s tax map and file number on any note you send a buyer so the wrong Gray plat does not get mixed into the conversation.

For lenders and appraisers, the conflict inside the staff report is a documentation problem, not a reason to invent a middle ground. Attach the agenda page that says R-1 to A-1, attach the Request Details table that flips the labels, and attach the Oct. 5 hearing notice. Let the underwriter see the same conflict the county printed.

If County Commission approves A-1 on Oct. 26, owners nearby should expect a second dwelling to be easier to justify on large lots that meet A-1 standards. If the board denies or defers, the land stays under whichever label the corrected record shows as current. Either way, the hearing transcript and the ordinance text — not a hallway summary — are what belong in a listing file. Put the Oct. 26, 2026, 6:00 p.m. hearing on your calendar if you own on Matson Road or Silver Maple Drive.

Key dates

• Oct. 5, 2026 — Public notice published for the County Commission hearing.
• Oct. 6, 2026 — Washington County Regional Planning Commission agenda includes the Barrager rezoning and staff report.
• Oct. 26, 2026 — County Commission public hearing, 6:00 p.m., Courtroom 7, George P. Jaynes Justice Center, Jonesborough.

Own a home or acreage near Jonesborough or Johnson City? Get a free home valuation, or ask for a cash offer if you want a firm number and your own move date.

When is the Matson Road rezoning hearing?

Washington County commissioners will hold a public hearing on October 26, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Courtroom 7 of the George P. Jaynes Justice Center in Jonesborough, according to the published notice.

What zoning change is requested at 628 Matson Road?

The Planning Commission agenda and staff recommendation describe a change from R-1 Low Density Residential to A-1 General Agriculture. The same staff report’s Request Details table lists current zoning as A-1 and requested zoning as R-1.

How large is the Matson Road property?

The staff report lists 19.2 acres +/- at Tax Map 053, Parcel 078.00, in the 8th Civil District.

What does the applicant want to build?

The staff report overview says the petitioner requests rezoning to allow construction of two single-family detached dwellings.

What did planning staff recommend?

Staff recommends approval of the rezoning request at 628 Matson Road from R-1 to A-1, as submitted, calling A-1 appropriate for larger lots.

Source links

• Washington County Regional Planning Commission — Oct. 6, 2026 agenda packet (Matson Road staff report)
• NoticeRegistry — Public hearing notice, George P. Jaynes Justice Center (published Oct. 5, 2026)

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