Rutherford County planning commission approves rezoning for proposed 39-acre warehouse site amid neighbor objections

The Rutherford County Regional Planning Commission voted to rezone roughly 39 acres near the I-840 interchange from Residential Medium Density to Employment and Activity Center on a motion passed during its February 2025 meeting.

The rezoning, filed as RA Z 25002 by Beacon Acquisitions LLC, would allow distribution and warehousing buildings on parcels listed as tax map 95, parcels 15, 15-01 and 15-02, according to staff. Planning staff and the applicant said the concept plan shows three buildings totaling about 430,000 square feet, but the map presented to the commission is conceptual and not a binding site plan.

Why it matters: The change would enable industrial-style uses in a location identified in the county comprehensive plan as an employment-area node. Commissioners and staff emphasized that several regulatory steps remain — including a traffic study, a memorandum of understanding with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) on access, and a separate final site-plan review — before construction could proceed.

Doug DeMasi, county planning staff, told the commission the applicant proposes three distribution/warehouse buildings with vehicular and truck parking and some office space but that “specific uses have not been identified at this time.” DeMasi said the concept plan shows two access points to Amityville Road but that TDOT has advised moving any access away from the interstate ramp and that TDOT must verify the end of state access jurisdiction along the interstate. He said a traffic study scoping meeting has occurred but the study and an executed MOU are not yet complete.

Matt Taylor, the applicant’s consultant, said his team has begun meetings with TDOT and the traffic scoping process and anticipates roadway improvements. “We do anticipate some roadway improvements,” Taylor said, adding that the applicant will complete required studies before any formal site plan submittal.

A resident who identified himself as Douglas Kerrigan opposed the rezoning during public comment, saying he and his wife live near the site and that they received little or no personal outreach from the applicant. “No one has contacted us,” Kerrigan said, adding he was concerned about light and noise from truck activity and that the area currently has wildlife and a rural character.

Commission discussion cited existing nearby commercial and light-industrial approvals and the county’s comprehensive plan. Planning staff said buffering requirements for industrial uses adjacent to residentially zoned property require a Type 3 buffer — generally a 50-foot landscape buffer that can be reduced to 25 feet if a solid screen such as a wall or fence is used and certain plantings are provided. DeMasi also noted that the EAC zone’s performance standards include limits on light at the property line and noise/deciBel language, and that photometric plans and noise monitoring requirements exist in the zoning ordinance, though staff acknowledged enforcement challenges.

Commissioner Michael Shirley moved to approve the rezoning, noting that access, buffering, traffic study, and final site-plan review are outstanding items that will be addressed at later stages. The motion passed on a roll call; the audible record includes recorded yes votes from Commissioners Lee Bogle, Charlotte P., Jim Thompson, Michael Shirley and Pettis Reid and a recorded no from Commissioner Trey Gooch. The transcript does not audibly identify every roll-call response.

What remains: If the rezoning stands, the item will go to the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners on March 13, 2025, unless deferred or withdrawn. Planning staff emphasized that approval of zoning does not authorize construction; the applicant must submit and obtain approval of a final site plan, complete any required traffic and access agreements with TDOT, and meet buffering, lighting and noise performance standards prior to development.

A planning-staff follow-up included that Smyrna’s planned sewer extension could affect development timing because sewer availability is limited in parts of the area. Staff also noted nearby conceptual projects (including a mini-warehouse site plan under review and a previously approved light-industrial rezoning) that factor into long-term infrastructure and land-use planning.

The commission moved on to staff reports and adjourned after brief administrative remarks.