The cutting of the trees began shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday.
By 7 a.m., Johnson City’s much-debated grove of beech trees was lying on the ground.
The trees, estimated to be 100 to 500 years old, were located on the property on the corner of West Market Street and State of Franklin.
The owner of the property, Kingsport businessman Stewart Taylor, had the trees cut down to make way for a new condominium development. However, the initial plan was to rezone the property and build a mix of retail businesses. By rezoning the property from R-4 (Medium Density Residential) to PB (Planned Business), developer Bob Pearman would have leased the land to build medical offices, restaurants, a shopping center and possibly a grocery store.
“The plan included preservation of the trees for use as a centerpiece in the development,” landowner Stewart Taylor said. “The city knew by voting against Pearman’s plan that I would build condominiums instead. The commission basically chose the condo development and removal of the beech trees,” Taylor said.
City Commissioners turned down the rezoning request in a vote of 3-2. Commissioners Pete Paduch, Ricky Mohon and Mayor Stephen Darden opposed the rezoning and Commissioners Jane Myron and Phil Roe voted for the request.
At the City Commission meeting on Nov. 17, the members of the majority expressed that by rezoning PB, the quality of development would not be compatible with the ideas of a Med-Tech corridor and to bring in better jobs. However, Roe said that this was the best proposal he had seen and that nobody else was offering a better plan. Myron agreed with Roe’s statement.
“This is a huge loss for me and for the citizens of Johnson City,” Taylor said. “I wanted to save the trees, but I was forced into a corner.”
The development on this land is required to use at most 8,000 square feet for greenery. “Our plans were to use 48,000 square feet for greenery and we volunteered to spend around $500,000 to build a road between our site and East Tennessee State University to help with traffic flow,” Taylor said. “In my opinion the city of Johnson City is the worst spot in the treatment for outside developers.”
“This is a lose/lose/lose situation for everybody,” ETSU political science instructor Dr. Joe Corso said. “These trees were a symbol of the quality of life and we should demand more of our city government and people who want to develop in Johnson City.”
This property was also the farm of Johnson City pioneer Robert Young, who is also buried there. Young is credited as the overmountain man who fired the shot that killed Col. Patrick Ferguson in the Battle of King’s Mountain, Oct. 7, 1780. “This is a battle that turned the tide in the Revolutionary War,” Corso said. Three years ago Mountain States Health Alliance tried to acquire a permanent land lease from Tennessee Valley Authority. The plan was to lease two acres on the corner of the property to Laird Development, which wanted to build a Walgreen’s Pharmacy and would have required the removal of the trees.
Johnson City Press staff writer James Brooks reported in September 2002 “City officials questioned the development of a pharmacy on the land because it is an entrance to the Med-Tech Corridor’s middle anchor – which some argue should exclude retail development.”
Civic group ROOTS went to City Hall with a petition of 4,500 to stop the rezoning at that time. The City Commission voted 3-2 against MSHA rezoning, therefore stopping the development of the property and saving the beech trees from removal.
Commissioners’ Paduch, Mohon and Rev. C.H. Charlton voted against the rezoning, Commissioner Darden and Mayor Duffie Jones voting for the request.
“It’s completely disgusting,” said Linda Modica, chairwoman of the local Sierra Club. “While it wasn’t a perfect plan, the trees would have had a chance to survive. The city has a blatant disregard of the public’s interest and the natural beauty of our area.

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