Madison County planning commission tables contentious McMillan Road rezoning after residents protest

The Madison County Planning Commission on a lengthy public hearing session deferred a decision on a rezoning request from Macmillan Road LLC after dozens of neighbors objected and the commission said it needed more information, including whether a proposed buffer could be coordinated with the adjacent Hathaway Lake homeowners association.

The petitioner, represented by Neil Bryant, described the application as a request to rezone 60.68 acres on the west side of McMillan Road from R-1 to R-1B, producing lots with a minimum size of 15,000 square feet and a proposed minimum house size to be controlled by covenants. Bryant cited county housing supply data and projected growth to argue for additional residential inventory.

"We're requesting that it be rezoned to R-1B," Bryant said during his presentation; he told commissioners the development would include an architecturally defined entrance, homeowners association governance and plans for green space and recreation.

Opposition speakers said the tract functions as an R-1 buffer between higher-density neighborhoods to the south and agricultural land to the north, and that the petition failed to meet legal standards for rezoning. Tim Anzenberger, who led the organized protest, said property owners had collected joiners from over 20% of surrounding lots and argued the petitioner had not shown a "substantial change in the character of the area" or a public need. "The Mississippi Supreme Court has made clear... a petitioner has to come before the board and show a heavy burden," Anzenberger said.

Other neighbors raised traffic, school-capacity and property-value concerns and described the wooded character behind their homes as central to why they purchased their properties. Several residents said recent drought damage has thinned trees in the proposed buffer area and questioned whether a developer offer of a 25-foot buffer would meaningfully address line-of-sight and noise concerns.

During the hearing, petitioner Blake Kress offered to set a 25-foot buffer along the Hathaway Lake border — contingent on that association accepting and maintaining the land — and to consider larger rear setbacks on lots. Commissioners and staff explained that rezoning is only the first approval and that plat and site-plan reviews would follow if the rezoning were approved.

Commissioners ultimately voted to table the rezoning and close the public hearing; the commission set a follow-up date of June 12 for continued consideration. A motion to table was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote; the transcript records the outcome as "Aye."