Madison County planners table 350-acre industrial rezoning after residents raise notice, buffer and infrastructure concerns

The Madison County Planning & Zoning Commission on Jan. 8 voted to table a request from the Madison County Economic Development Authority to rezone about 350 acres along Nissan Parkway and Highway 22 from C-2 (commercial) to I-2 (heavy industrial), after multiple residents questioned whether statutory notice was adequate, whether proposed buffers would protect homes and whether local roads and sanitation could absorb additional industrial traffic.

The petition, presented by Skip Jernigan, attorney for the Economic Development Authority, said the county’s nearby Amazon Web Services mega site and other industrial activity have changed the character of the area and that limited remaining industrial land makes rezoning this parcel a logical next step. Jernigan said the proposed rezoning would accommodate two projects — an assembly plant and a candy manufacturer — and that Makeda (the petitioner) planned enforceable covenants and a 75-yard (225-foot)…