Collierville advances rezoning of former Blaylock & Brown property amid landfill cap and neighbor concerns

The Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen on April 28 voted on second reading to rezone two tracts owned by Blaylock and Brown Construction Inc. from R-1 (low-density residential) to FAR (forest agricultural residential). The board recorded a second-reading approval to send the ordinance to third and final reading on May 12.

Why the change: Planning staff said the northern tract contains a former landfill that TDEC is currently capping and that both tracts include environmental constraints (topography, flood plain and former mining/gravel-pit areas) that make smaller residential lots inappropriate. The FAR district’s five-acre minimum lots better match the land-use plan and local utility/roadway capacity, staff said.

Public comment and owner opposition: The BMA conducted a public hearing. Several adjacent homeowners, including representatives of Fairway Glen and Plantation neighborhoods, supported the rezoning because they see it as aligning with current infrastructure and preserving large-lot, low-density character. Randy Turner, a Fairway Glen officer, told the board his subdivision “strongly encourage[d] you to approve the motion” to rezone. Other residents asked staff to ensure existing berms, tree buffers and drainage between the tracts and neighboring subdivisions remain protected.

Blaylock and Brown’s counsel, Lou Wardlow, opposed the rezoning on behalf of the owner. Wardlow said the rezoning was initiated by the town, not the owner, and argued that rezoning the property while it is not being actively marketed or developed would unduly limit future options for sale or development; he called a town-initiated rezoning “not a legally appropriate use of the town’s zoning powers” in his remarks.

Staff and legal response: Planning staff replied that TDEC is overseeing closure and long-term monitoring of the landfill and that TDEC will conduct inspections and require long-term monitoring after the cap is installed; staff said the state is bearing the remediation cost. Town counsel advised the board that the town has authority to initiate rezonings and that the board should decide whether the rezoning meets applicable criteria.

Board action and next steps: The board voted to advance the ordinance on second reading; staff said the property will return for a third reading May 12. Staff also noted that any future development proposals would still require reviews for stormwater, road improvements and water/sewer availability.