Middle Tennessee tractor parade held in protest of development tied to Ross Perot family
Landowners and residents protested a development plan for a huge industrial park in rural Wilson County area Friday with a tractor parade leading up to a planning commission meeting.
The tractor convoy included about 30 tractors with signs like "protect our farmland," and "no farms no food."
"The tractor is an emblem of agriculture," said Jack Pratt Jr., a landowner near the proposed industrial park site in the eastern portion of the county. The plan is connected to Texas-based Hillwood, a company tied to the Ross Perot family. "We want our voice to be heard. Sometimes you can do that visually more than words."
Conceptual plans from Hillwood have shown 10.35 million square feet of industrial style office, warehousing and light manufacturing space that would be part of the approximate 1,380-acre proposed site off Interstate 40 near the Linwood Road exit in eastern Wilson County.
The tractor parade started at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center and made its way to the Lebanon downtown square and ultimately just east to the courthouse on East Main Street, where the planning commission was scheduled to meet Friday morning. A number of trucks participated in the parade with the tractors and people with signs were also on the side of East Main near the courthouse.
A decision had not been reached by the planning commission as of press time for this story Friday.
"It brings visibility that this is truly a farming community coming together on a day we should be bailing hay," said area landowner Michael Swope, who was with his two daughters, Allie Swope, 10, and Stella Swope, 8. Both girls were wearing shirts that said "no industrial park."
The Wilson County Planning Commission hadn't taken action due to the length of the meeting at deadline for this story. The meeting had standing room only in a packed meeting room.
About 475 signatures were obtained on a petition against the industrial park development's rezone and development plan as of several weeks ago, according to Wendy Miller, the owner of Crossroads Salon. She is overseeing the effort.
The site encompasses two commission districts – one represented by Commissioner Chris Dowell and the other by Commissioner Terry Scruggs, officials have said. Dowell has said his constituents overwhelmingly do not want the industrial park plan.
About the plan
The portion of land listed as Area A includes one building at 1.2 million square feet, six buildings at 1 million square feet, one at 900,000 square feet and one at 800,000 square feet. There was also a 550,000-square-foot building and three 300,000-square-foot buildings, according to the plans.
A retail mix at the northwest corner of the grounds is also proposed with remaining areas to include maintaining agricultural uses or a conservation easement on the proposed master plan.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Farmers protest Tennessee industrial plan tied to Perot family
