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) buffer along the southern property line.

Residents pressed the commission on two procedural issues and multiple impacts. Jeffrey Hawkins said he and other neighbors were not properly notified and described the petition as “out of order.” Nancy Pate cited Madison County notice and zoning provisions and urged postponement, saying the county’s infrastructure (roads, sanitation and waste disposal) already struggles to serve existing development. Deveria Manning and other residents emphasized the proximity of dozens of homes within a quarter-mile of the site and said the immediate neighborhood remains largely agricultural and residential. Vandy Sowell, a landowner who rents pasture near the site, warned that he would resist any attempt to displace him and asked for protection of his tenancy and property rights.

Commissioners and staff responded that the petition had previously been heard by the Board of Supervisors and subsequently re-advertised to planning and zoning; staff said the advertised notices were posted on Nov. 20 and that the petition submitted to the board had been amended to reduce acreage and add proposed covenants. A county official told speakers the approval or denial of the rezoning would not itself cause an imminent-domain taking but acknowledged eminent domain remains legally possible in other circumstances.

Makeda’s executive director, Joey Deason, offered multiple windows for meetings and said he would “sit down and I will talk to each and every 1 of them” to work through concerns and view the site with residents. Commissioners voted to table the petition, directing Makeda and residents to meet and to return the matter to planning and zoning for further consideration; the commission set the item to be revisited at the January 8 meeting to allow additional discussion.

Votes at a glance - Soule Place LLC rezoning (≈85 acres at Verilli/Verrilli Road and Highway 22): motion approved by voice vote during the same hearing. - Makeda/Makita rezoning (≈350 acres near Nissan Pkwy & Hwy 22): motion to table for further investigation and resident meetings; carried by voice vote.

Why it matters The commission’s decision pauses a major industrial expansion near residential and agricultural parcels that residents say were not adequately informed and could face noise, traffic and sanitation impacts. The rezoning would also create more industrial land adjacent to the county’s largest economic development project, the AWS mega site, shaping future job opportunities and land use in the county.

What’s next The petition was tabled to allow Makeda and affected residents to meet and attempt to resolve outstanding procedural and buffer questions before the item returns to planning and zoning on Jan. 8. The commission asked staff and Makeda to coordinate meetings and provide clearer, enforceable buffer and covenant language before the next hearing.