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Developer urges approval of rezoning for 933 West Jackson, disputes planning commission safety rationale
Summary
Property representatives asked the Shelbyville council to approve rezoning of 5.27 acres at 933 West Jackson from industrial to medium-density residential, argued the planning commissions unfavorable recommendation misstates safety concerns and provided alternate emergency access mileage. The applicant asked the council to vote rather than remand the request back to planning.
At the June 2 study session the council received a first-reading ordinance to rezone a 5.27-acre portion of property at 933 West Jackson (a parcel identified in Bedford County tax records) from Industrial I to Residential 3. The planning commission had issued an unfavorable recommendation; the applicant addressed the council at length.
Courtney Clark, representing the property owners, told the council the proposal had been reviewed previously by city departments during a preplanning meeting and those department heads (police, fire, building and codes) raised no comments at the time. Clark referenced the preplanning case file (R2025-12-001) and provided a packet of documents and maps to council members. "I have included the original documents from our meeting with the city of Shelbyville preplanning committee on Monday, 12/15/2025," Clark said, noting the file reference.
Clark disputed the planning commissions public-safety concerns, recounting an off-record conversation quoted in commission dictation where a chief said a police cruiser once flooded and that alternate routes exist but could add minutes to emergency response. Clark presented alternate routed-mileage calculations for fire, police and EMS access and said the greatest difference between the shortest and longest emergency route was roughly 2.11 miles for police and fire and about 1.28 miles for EMS. "While I agree, time is always of great importance in an emergency, these are not substantial differences, especially considering we are talking about a hypothetical worst-case scenario," Clark said.
Clark also argued the property currently is zoned industrial and could accommodate a large manufacturing facility with far greater exposure to hazard; by contrast she said the proposed duplex housing would expand attainable housing, raise tax revenue, encourage reinvestment in underutilized land and maintain buffering. She said the development would rely on engineering, drainage improvements and elevation standards to address flooding concerns.
Clark also raised process concerns, saying decisions appeared to be made outside formal meetings and noting an allegation that the planning committees unfavorable recommendation was influenced by another developers presence at the meeting. Clark referenced the Tennessee Open Meetings Act while questioning whether off-record discussions had affected the commissions recommendation.
Council did not take a vote at the study session. Clark asked the council to vote on the rezoning so the applicants would not have to return to planning and to avoid further delays. The item remains in the first-reading stage and will appear on future agendas for continued consideration.
