SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn (WTVF) — Several people stood up at the podium at the Sumner County Planning hearing Tuesday night to ask commissioners to vote 'no' on a plan that would bring more 150 homes to the Hendersonville community.
People who live on or along New Shackle Island Road say the land in the area is zoned for agriculture and a lot of the residents own farmland. They told the commissioners a subdivision just won't fit in with the neighborhood's appearance.
Meritage Homes and Civil Site Design Group (CSDG) is requesting commission approval for a preliminary master development plan, as well as rezoning from residential agriculture to residential planned unit development. The purpose is to create 155 lots for single-family homes on 70.6 acres of land.
Sarah Ezell has lived along New Shackle Island Road for decades, and her family has owned property in the neighborhood for four generations. Ezell says the plan will never get her support.
"We’re very concerned as to what the development, the additional growth into the county and all it’s going to cause," said Ezell. "It just doesn’t fit in to our community; the types of homes being build does not fit in."
Officials with Meritage Homes declined our request for an interview at the meeting, but they took note in the community's concerns of possible flooding, increased in traffic, and crowding the additional homes may cause nearby neighbors.
They decided to defer the proposal for 30 days and will decide if they want to bring the proposal back next month or withdraw the plans. It's not the outcome those in community we're hoping for, but they say it was better than the plan passing.
"I was hoping for a no vote, so I don’t come back in 30 days, I will be back; and I will fight this for as long as I have to because it’s not right for the county it’s not right for us," said Ezell.
Several planning commissioners also voiced concerns with the plan.
