NATCHEZ — Plans for a nursing center that would back up to Glenwood subdivision could be back in the works with the developer currently putting in a turn lane into the property.

Samuel Brumfield with the Mississippi Department of Transportation permit department said turn-lane work is being done under a permit for developer Gayle Evans.

The Natchez Planning Commission and the Natchez Board of Aldermen denied Evans’ request in 2009 to rezone a 3.6-acre parcel of land on John R. Junkin Drive to allow a construction of a nursing center.

Brumfield said the permit for the turn lane had expired, but he said a letter of renewal was recently issued. He said, however, the permit was issued because Evans said a nursing center would be built.

“Generally, when you do (roadwork), there is a reason,” Brumfield said. “We were told that there were no problems with the development and that everything was fine with that. That’s what the approval on the permit was based on.”

Natchez City Planner Bob Nix and Natchez City Engineer David Gardner said they were not aware of any plans for the property and made calls to MDOT once they saw the roadwork begin.

Gardner and Nix said no city permits have been issued for the property, which means the current work can only be done on the right-of-way.

Nix said Evans does not have an approved site plan for development on the property.

Gardner said he has also not issued a land development permit, so the land cannot yet be grated for development.

To develop a nursing center, the R-1 zoned piece of land would have to be rezoned as a special use district.

Former city planner Rusty Lewis said in 2009 that he believed the land was originally intended to be zoned a special use district. He said a mapping error had it incorrectly shown as an R-1 area like Glenwood subdivision.

Many residents of the Glenwood subdivision appeared before the board of aldermen in 2009 to voice concerns about rezoning the property.

Evans has said he has owned the property for 32 years and developed the Glenburney Nursing and the Adams County Nursing Center.

Efforts to reach Evans Wednesday were unsuccessful.