Residents of the rural area in eastern Wilson County near Interstate 40 are gearing up for a potential major industrial park as requests to amend the land use plan and a formal rezoning of the property have been submitted.
Conceptual plans associated with Texas-based Hillwood, a company with ties to the Ross Perot family, have been filed and show 10.35 million square feet of industrial office, warehousing and light manufacturing space as the changes in the rezoning and land use plan will ultimately be approved, Wilson said Tom Brashear, director of county planning.
A retail mix is also proposed on the northwest corner of the site, while the remaining areas could include agricultural use retention or an easement in the proposed master plan.
The total area is just over 1,380 hectares. One rendering includes the name Legacy Park, although it is not clear if that is used for the development plan.
Many residents and landowners have voiced opposition to the development plan after Hillwood representatives met with the community at Crossroads Fellowship Church about several months ago to answer questions.
Attempts to reach a Hillwood representative for comment were unsuccessful.
The portion of the land listed as Area A included one 1.2 million square foot building, six 1 million square foot buildings, one 900,000 square foot buildings and one 800,000 square foot buildings. The plans also called for a 550,000-square-foot building and three 300,000-square-foot buildings.
About 475 signatures have been collected lobbying against the rezoning and industrial park development plan as of several weeks ago, said Wendy Miller, owner of Crossroads Salon. She is handling the petition.
It’s an “uncontaminated area,” Miller said of the land. “My customers are farmers, and it would have a major impact on them.”
Area resident Jack Pratt, Jr. said the topic had been discussed many times among community members.
“I would say 90-95% is a solid no,” he said of the public consensus.
Local residents recently held another community meeting for information purposes.
“We are preparing to fight it,” landowner Perry Neal said after the zoning and zoning amendment requests were submitted. “We believe this is not appropriate for this community and could be very harmful. We feel like once you start doing this, it sets a precedent. There are still many larger farms here that have still not been developed. In ten years we might have something like (Interstate) 840.”
The site includes two commission districts — one represented by Commissioner Chris Dowell and the other by Commissioner Terry Scruggs, officials said.
“The people in Tuckers Crossroads don’t want an industrial park,” Dowell said of the feedback he’s received from his constituents so far.
Attempts to reach Scruggs were unsuccessful.
The land use plan amendment and rezoning requests are expected to be considered by the Wilson County Planning Commission on June 21 at 10 a.m.
The urban development committee will issue an advice. If commissioners recommend approval, the requests will be forwarded to the Wilson County Commission for final approval.
If the planning commission recommends a denial, applicants can determine whether to still move forward and seek approval from the county commission while adhering to certain protocols, according to procedures outlined in the Wilson County planning process.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Perot family business moves forward with 1,300-acre industrial park in Tennessee
