Planning Commission declines rezoning vote delay
Cleveland, Tennessee residents packed a planning commission meeting to voice concerns over a rezoning request they feared would lead to a data center, citing environmental, infrastructure, and notice issues. Despite resident pleas to delay the vote, the Cleveland City Planning Commission approved the rezoning request. The developer, Wright Brothers Construction, stated plans for a travel center, hotels, and restaurants, not a data center.
Cleveland residents expressed significant concerns at a City Planning Commission meeting regarding a rezoning request for a nearly 400-acre site on Lower River Road. While residents feared the rezoning would permit a data center, Wright Brothers Construction, the Charleston-based developer, indicated their plans include a possible travel center, hotels, and restaurants.
City of Cleveland senior transportation long range planner Robert Varnell clarified that the proposed Commercial General zoning designation would not allow for a data center. He also explained that the Planning Commission is a recommending body, with the Cleveland City Council holding the sole authority for final approval or rejection of the zoning request. The official public hearing with the City Council is scheduled for September 24th.
Residents, including Cynthia Tanty, questioned the transparency of public notices, alleging that original signs lacked required information and height, and that corrected signs appeared only recently. Tanty also raised concerns about unresolved environmental questions, major police, fire, sewer, and electrical infrastructure issues, and projected service costs. Brandy Marie, another resident, urged the commission to delay the vote due to fears of environmental threats from extending city services closer to the river and the potential for radioactive waste storage, linking it to data centers' high electricity and water demands. Marie also referenced a state initiative for Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses, suggesting a possible link to co-sponsored data centers near rivers.
Despite the residents' pleas, a motion to delay sending the zoning request to the city council failed. Subsequently, a plan of service was passed, and the rezoning vote proceeded, with the commission voting to approve the rezoning.