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Board denies rezoning for planned Highway 471 baseball fields after neighborhood opposition
Summary
The Rankin County Board denied a request to rezone nearly five acres on Highway 471 for a commercial baseball training facility, citing neighborhood character concerns, potential traffic, lighting and property-value impacts after residents and the board debated public-need and compatibility issues.
The Rankin County Board of Supervisors voted April 15 to deny a rezoning request that would have allowed a large indoor training facility and an illuminated outdoor baseball field on Highway 471.
Neighbors told the board the area has remained residential in character for decades, and they raised concerns about lighting, noise and traffic from a commercial ball field next to existing homes. "I respectfully ask that the board deny the application for rezoning of that parcel from residential to commercial," Cindy Jackson said during public comment, citing the county zoning ordinance and comprehensive-plan land use guidance.
Applicant Zack Nolder described a 15,000-square-foot indoor climate-controlled facility and a high-school-size outdoor field for USA Scout training, and said lighting would use shielded LED fixtures and that weekday practices would end by 9 p.m. He said the project would support youth development and create a local training venue.
Board deliberations focused on two statutory rezoning tests: whether the original zoning was a mistake and whether there has been a change in the neighborhood’s character or demonstrated public need for commercial classification. The board concluded the parcel was appropriately zoned originally and that the presence of nearby residential estates weighed against rezoning. Supervisor Jay moved to deny the request; the motion passed.
The denial preserves the property’s current RE‑1 classification; the applicant may pursue other locations or return with additional information but the board did not grant the requested C‑2 zoning at this time.
