WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Wilson County Commission voted Monday night on plans to move for or against the development of an industrial park, which comes after the company appealed the first decision opposing it.
After the Planning Commission unanimously voted against the rezoning proposal in June, Texas-based company Hillwood decided to push back and appeal.
Many Wilson County residents in the Tucker Crossroads community spoke Monday night in opposition to industrial parks, with some residents even signing petitions as evidence of widespread opposition to the rezoning.
Those who oppose the plan say there is an increased risk of dangerous flooding and believe it will hurt agriculture in the community. There is also concern that traffic issues on Interstate 40 East will increase, with no plan to handle the increased traffic.
"We got about four million square feet of unoccupied industrial space right now," one Wilson County resident said. "And this developer wants to come in and build another 10.5 million square feet in a place where nobody wants it!"
Others spoke in support of the development, arguing it would support the community by providing a convenience store and gas station, as well as providing thousands of quality jobs that will help with tax revenue into Wilson County to support schools and road projects.
One Wilson County resident has pushed petitions against the park to the mayor's office, fighting for the space to remain open.
"We have right over 1600 petitions that have been signed from the community," the resident said. "We got a lot of support everywhere we want to keep as much rural space as possible."
After hours of public comment, the Commission voted not to proceed with the plans for the industrial park.