Cook Road conditional rezoning draws strong resident opposition; council tables decision after public hearing

The Town of Nashville held a public hearing Jan. 7 on a developer’s request to conditionally rezone roughly 38 acres on Cook Road from I-1 (industrial) to a conditional nonresidential district. Developer Will Cornege described a mixed agrifood campus that would include a food-processing facility, retail and dining, technical training, agritourism, and an amphitheater.

"Our business ... is built around the purpose to revive communities through food and to showcase small town rural America," Cornege told the council. He said the primary economic engine would be a processing facility to serve growers and described ancillary uses such as retail, education and event space.

Several nearby landowners told the council they learned late about the proposal and urged more outreach. Hope Edwards, who farms on Cook Road, said her family's poultry operation depends on strict biosecurity protocols and said proximity to new commercial uses could threaten that business.

"If we were to lose a whole flock of chickens, we go bankrupt," Edwards said. She asked that the developer meet directly with affected farmers to explain plans and address biosecurity, runoff and odor concerns.

Other residents cited traffic and noise worries if the site hosted events or attracted commercial truck traffic. Larry Danforth, who moved to Cook Road for its "quieter quality of life," said the rezoning request as presented contained broad use permissions and asked the council to consider the impact on people already living there.

Planning staff told the council the applicant supplied a conceptual site plan and a long list of potential uses; planning staff recommended additional detail and noted that the planning board had approved the request with conditions the previous evening. Several council members and staff noted notification gaps: multiple residents said they did not receive the mailed notice for this parcel because of how the 500-foot notification radius was generated from county GIS and the large lot sizes in the area.

After the hearing the council voted to table the rezoning request so staff could ensure all residents along Cook Road receive mailed notice and to allow the applicant an opportunity to meet with neighbors. A council member said the developer should hold a neighborhood meeting before the item returns to the council. The motion to table passed by voice vote.

The council did not adopt the rezoning ordinance during the Jan. 7 meeting. Staff said they will re-notify affected property owners, provide a clearer comparison of what uses are permitted now under industrial zoning versus what the conditional district would allow, and schedule follow-up outreach and a return to council on Feb. 4, 2025 if appropriate.