Council to consider rezoning 1042 Veterans Parkway to allow wood-processing facility

Planning & Codes Director Richard Donovan briefed the council on a proposed rezoning for a roughly 20-acre parcel at 1042 Veterans Parkway (parcel 062-053.04), seeking to change the zoning from Business Park (BP) to Industrial I2 to permit a wood-processing and recycling use that BP does not allow by right.

Donovan said surrounding uses include vacant city-owned land to the north, Old Hickory Smokehouse to the south, large-lot residential in the county to the east, and Mia Industries across Veterans Drive to the west. He noted that water and sewer infrastructure serves the corridor (a 12-inch water main and an 8-inch gravity sewer line) and that the city’s land use/transportation plan previously recommended industrial use for the area.

Council members asked whether neighboring businesses had been contacted; Donovan said city staff had previously spoken to affected parties and would renew outreach before the ordinance comes back for formal action. Council also pressed the applicant on operational limits: staff and council said tires or other nonwood materials will not be processed, and the end user has agreed in principle to accept city-collected wood waste. City staff reported the end user has committed to accept 7,000 cubic yards and is negotiating toward 15,000 cubic yards, which staff said would accommodate the city's annual generation (staff estimated annual shredding near 15,000 cubic yards at a current annual cost of about $70,000 plus trucking).

No vote was taken at the work session. The rezoning will be placed on the regular meeting agenda for formal consideration and public notice procedures.