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Wilson County BZA denies special‑use permit for private gun range after months of neighborhood complaints
Summary
After hours of public testimony and staff reports citing land‑disturbance violations, the Wilson County Board of Zoning Appeals voted to deny a special‑use permit for a private gun range and related commercial uses at 4280 South Mount Juliet Road.
The Wilson County Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday denied a special‑use permit that would have allowed a private gun range on an R‑1 residential parcel at 4280 South Mount Juliet Road, concluding that the scale of activity and ongoing violations made approval inappropriate.
Staff had recommended denial and told the board the property had been the subject of enforcement actions, including a stop‑work order related to land disturbance and field reviews that identified unresolved stabilization work. The applicant, Jack Bird, and his representative, Kenny Buckley, withdrew requests for vehicle parking and landscape‑business storage during the hearing and focused the application on the gun‑range use.
Neighbors gave extensive testimony saying the site’s noise, explosions and operations have disrupted daily life. "My kids are scared," said Kasia Passaniti, a nearby resident and parent, describing recurring nighttime shooting and loud blasts that she said rattled windows. Numerous other neighbors testified to ongoing nuisance noise, erosion and burning of construction material.
Jack Bird, who identified himself as the property owner, testified the operation is safe and monitored. "Out of the last two years, 52 calls have been made to the Wilson County Sheriff's Office. Out of those 52 times, it's been found to be safe in operation," Bird said, noting he had installed cameras and other mitigation measures.
Board members questioned whether the activity amounted to a private homeowner inviting friends to shoot or a larger, quasi‑commercial operation. Staff emphasized that gun ranges and large equipment storage are not listed uses in the R‑1 district. The board also heard from staff about site issues: portions of the site required stormwater/stabilization remediation and the county had recorded violations dating to 2023.
After deliberation, a member moved to deny the special‑use request "based on staff recommendation," amended the motion to include public testimony describing the scale of operations, noise, and ongoing noncompliance, and the board approved the amended motion. The board's decision leaves civil enforcement and any pending court action intact; staff noted that withdrawal of some special‑use requests does not remove violations noted in enforcement files.
The applicant has a separate rezoning application pending before the planning commission; that rezoning, if approved, would be heard separately and could change allowable uses on the parcel. For now, the BZA’s denial means the property owner must either cease the contested uses or pursue other lawful remedies, such as rezoning or bringing the site into compliance before seeking new approvals.
The BZA did not set a subsequent hearing for this matter; enforcement staff said compliance and any residual litigation will proceed under existing county processes.
