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Residents urge Cheatham County to reject 567‑acre ‘Bells Reserve’ planned development near Narrows of the Harpeth
Summary
A Kingston Springs resident told the Cheatham County Commission the proposed Bells Reserve PUD near the Narrows of the Harpeth conflicts with the county growth plan, risks floodplain and river pollution, and would change the area’s rural character; the project has not yet been formally submitted to the planning commission.
During public comment at the Aug. 18, 2025, Cheatham County Commission meeting, Kingston Springs resident Linda Ryder urged commissioners to oppose a proposed planned-unit development known in developer materials as Bells Reserve, which she said is located at 1548 Old Cedar Hill Road near the Narrows of the Harpeth.
Ryder, who said she worked in commercial construction and formerly served on the county planning commission, told the commissioners the development materials describe roughly 567 acres and a proposed $250,000,000 commercial investment including about 80 rental cottages and 40 luxury residences. "This development is a luxury gated subdivision that will be rented out," she said, arguing it is not agritourism and does not meet the county’s growth-plan zoning requirements.
Ryder said the property lies outside the county’s planned-growth area and that Tennessee law requires land‑use decisions be consistent with the county growth plan and floodplain rules. She warned the project would alter terrain and increase impervious surface near the Harpeth River, risk additional runoff and sewage pollution and create long-term noise, traffic and staffing pressures on county services. "When it floods, the whole game changes," she said, recounting personal experience with past flooding.
Ryder also raised concerns about proposed water and sewer arrangements described by the developer (she said the developer proposed bringing a six‑inch water main across the river and a self-contained sewer system, possibly hauled by truck). She said access points discussed with landowners could place construction traffic on small local roads and near an Airbnb on Old Cedar Hill Road.
A separate public commenter said someone representing a developer had followed and threatened a resident; that commenter denied any connection to that representative and said they had not authorized representation.
The developer, identified in Ryder’s remarks as Michael Hayes (lead developer), did not speak at the meeting; Ryder said the project had not yet been formally submitted to the planning commission, so the full commission would have a later opportunity to consider it.
The commission did not take immediate action on the Bells Reserve project during the Aug. 18 meeting.
