The Montgomery County Commission approved rezoning up to 552 acres of agricultural land to heavy industrial uses for expansion of the Corporate Business Park.
The rezoning request for the Allensworth farm passed by a vote of 18-2.
Commissioners voting "yes" were John Gannon, Charlie Keene, Joe Smith, Rickey Ray, Rashidah Leverett, Arnold Hodges, Brandon Butts, Tangi Smith, Carmelle Chandler, James Lewis, Lisa Prichard, Walker Woodruff, David Harper, Loretta Bryant, Chris Rasnic, Jason Knight, Jerry Allbert and Larry Rocconi.
Commissioners voting "no" were Joshua Beal and Garland Johnson. Commissioner Joe Creek was absent from Monday night's meeting for medical reasons.
The large site lies just across a two-lane road from several neighborhoods, including Hartley Hills and Boyer Farms. The rezoning will allow the agricultural property to become a heavy industrial district under the M-2 zoning classification. That, in turn, will pave the way for the Industrial Development Board, or IDB, to purchase the land and market it for industrial use. The IDB hasn't specified what sort of industry might take up residence there.
The farm owner, John Allensworth, told The Leaf-Chronicle on Monday it's just time to move on. He knows surrounding residents are opposed to the rezoning primarily for health and safety reasons, but he maintains the precedent for industrial development in that area has already been set and there's no turning back from it.
“At lot of (our decision to sell) is our age. I’m 71. My two brothers have passed away. It’s the right timing," Allensworth said. “I’d much rather live by industry than residential. We’re already just about completely surrounded by industry."
Allensworth also maintains that there’s a big buffer and open woods between the neighborhood and the area that would be sold to the IDB.
“There’s at least 200 acres," he said.
"There has been industry out here for years. We've lived beside it, and it hasn't affected our health in any way. We've got Google and LG to the north, and Hankook and the (AtlasBX) battery plant on the south. It's all around us.
"We're not trying to ram anything down anyone's throat. I know the people up there have concerns, but I could better see the opposition's viewpoint if things weren't already established as industrial out here. It might actually make their property values go up ... we just don't know that yet."
Allensworth said the portion of the farm that's under option to sell probably won't be sold until the IDB finds a buyer for it.
Petition circulated
A petition signed by 97 residents in opposition to the rezoning claimed the new industrial land use "will adversely affect adjacent residential properties and other properties in the area.
'They don't care about the people in this community':Residents push back on plan to turn farm into factory
"They may be subjected to fire, explosions, environmental spills, loud noise, unpleasant odors, dust and other hazards," petitioners said.
For the IDB, the rezoning has been seen as an opportunity to continue setting the table for more job growth in Clarksville and Montgomery County.
The local IDB and Economic Development Council circulated a news release on Friday afternoon which touted the strides the agency has made, and while it didn't specify the farm rezoning case, the message and timing of it were clear. The release, signed by Frank Tate, IDB executive director, said:
“As we take time to reflect on the success and the accomplishments our great community has seen this past year, I am pleased to share that the economic development efforts of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Industrial Development Board have impacted the prosperity of every business, friend, family, and neighbor in Montgomery County and throughout the region.
"Our strategy is simple, to put the county in a competitive position to grow, attract and retain the types of companies we desire. Our team actively recruits businesses in all industries, based on our five-year strategic blueprint ... with an emphasis on aeronautics and aviation, information technology/data, high-value automotive manufacturing and professional business services.
"In 2019 the strategic blueprint initiatives set a five-year goal of adding 5,000 jobs and $1 billion in capital investment into the region. With our current activity, there will be an estimated 1,242 new jobs added, along with just over $168 million in capital investment for our local economy.'
Commissioners weigh in
County commissioners spoke out Monday night prior to their final vote, mostly in favor of the rezoning, while also challenging the IDB to be "good stewards" of the additional property.
"There is existing M-2 zoning in that area. There is nowhere else in the county we are going to grow M-2 but in this region," said Commissioner Larry Rocconi.
"We have to have some industrial zoning because we have to have jobs. I actually think we do a disservice to our citizens if we don't go ahead and rezone it today, so that everyone knows the lay of the land," Rocconi said.
Commissioner Tangi Smith joined those who said more residential rooftops next to existing industry and a rail line would be a worse alternative, while commissioners Joshua Beal and Garland Johnson sided with neighbors who don't want a big company to someday land in their backyards.
"This is in the Rural Area of the 20-year Urban Growth Plan that we just passed," Beal said, adding that designation should protect it against heavy manufacturing or distribution development.
County Mayor Jim Durrett said an M-2 zoning doesn't mean a polluter is headed to the 500-plus acre site. Existing examples of companies in M-2 zones in Montgomery County include Google with its data center, LG Electronics, and Hankook Tire as well as the rapidly-growing Agero call center.
"We have high standards for industrial development," Durrett said.
Jennifer Babich contributed to this report.
Reach Jimmy Settle at jimmysettle@theleafchronicle.com or 931-245-0247. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to TheLeafChronicle.com.
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Montgomery County Commission rezones large farm for heavy industry - The Leaf-Chronicle
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