Gallatin planning panel recommends denial of Hunt Club auto-dealership rezoning after hours of public opposition

A divided Gallatin Municipal Planning Commission voted to recommend denial of a developer's request to rezone a roughly 6.8‑acre parcel on Hunt Club Boulevard for an auto dealership, after a multihour public hearing in which neighbors and business owners urged the commission to preserve the corridor's mixed‑use character.

Proponents said the applicant — the same ownership group behind a nearby Subaru dealership — would follow architectural and operational standards similar to their prior project and would contribute to roadway improvements, including a pro‑rata share for a future traffic signal. Developer Gaines Robinson said the proposal would bring tax revenue and philanthropic support to the city.

But dozens of neighbors and nearby professionals urged commissioners to reject the rezoning. Brenton Harris, who said he spent two decades in automotive logistics, warned that car‑hauler trucks routinely stage and unload in ways that can block lanes and create safety risks and argued the proposed layout lacks a dedicated, safe unloading area. “Car haulers have limited visibility, large blind spots, limited maneuverability,” Harris said, “and they require large turning radii.”

Business owners and medical‑office tenants echoed the safety and compatibility concerns, saying Hunt Club was planned and built to support neighborhood‑serving offices and light retail rather than an intensive, car‑sales operation. Several speakers also asked the commission to protect historic landscape features on the site, including an old rock wall and stone tower they said are locally significant.

Commissioners discussed traffic, buffering and long‑term land‑use impacts. Planning staff noted the proposal would require a major amendment to the site's master development plan and would therefore also proceed to City Council. After a motion to recommend denial, the panel voted 4–1 to send a negative recommendation to the council.

The developer may next take the request to City Council, where the council will weigh the planning commission's recommendation, staff reports and the public record. The commission's recommendation does not bar the developer from pursuing a revised proposal or additional mitigations before the council.