Credit for Images: No Industrial Park / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A Wilson county group protesting a plan from an out-of-state group to rezone over a thousand acres of farmland got a second win at a county commission meeting on Monday night.
Concerned residents packed the meeting which lasted for hours and were rewarded for their efforts when the commission denied Texas-based Hillwood’s plans for an industrial park project spanning almost 1,400 acres.
Around 60 people took turns speaking for 3 minutes to commissioners during the meeting with the majority speaking against the development. The commission voted 17-8 against the proposed land use plan amendment and rezone.
The company with ties to the late Texas billionaire Ross Perot was turned down by the Wilson County Planning Commission earlier this year when Hillwood requested the same rezone and land use plan amendment.
Back in June, No Industrial Park spokesman Michael Swope told The Tennessee Conservative that Hillwood’s plan did not fit the community. The property is surrounded by working farms. But Hillwood chose to appeal the Wilson Planning Commission’s decision.
Hillwood’s proposal, called Bluebird Business Park, included creating 10.35 million square feet of industrial-style offices, warehouses, and light manufacturing spaces, as well as a retail mix in the northwest corner of the eastern Wilson County property, near Linwood and Bluebird Roads off I-40.
Along with 10 to 13 large buildings on approximately 950 acres, Hillwood had plans for commercial frontage for a local businessman to establish a fuel stop, convenience store, and other retail.
The University of Tennessee and Cumberland University were both in favor of the project as Hillwood had agreed to contribute 350 acres of a conservation easement to the two schools for agricultural uses and research.
The Texas company had also committed to running 7 miles of new water lines to the area, providing water to a few of the locals.
While the project was opposed by both the Wilson County Farm Bureau and Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, the land in question has not been used agriculturally in over 50 years.
Wrenco Corporation bought some of the land in 1967, about the same time that I-40 was being built across the county, and while there was some talk of development in the early 90’s, nothing came to fruition. The developer purchased adjacent tracts of land and in 2004, all of the land was sold to Five H Properties.
In 2006, Pulte Homes and the developer asked for Wilson County planning commission approval for a Del Webb residential development with 2,500 homes. This request necessitated planned unit development (PUD) regulations to be developed, something the county did not have in the county zoning ordinance at the time but which the planning commission and county commission approved by the end of 2006.
In the end, Pulte Homes backed out of the project due to the housing downturn in 2008. The PUD expired at the end of 2008, and the zoning for the land reverted back to A1.
The land was sold to its current owners, a group of more than 150 investors, at the beginning of 2009 who are motivated to sell and have the land developed.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
