Hamilton County officials are seeking rezoning for McDonald Farm in Sale Creek, indicating that a portion of the sprawling property will be kept as parkland and a larger section used for industrial development.
The request includes 871 acres for development and 238.4 for parks.
The rezoning case goes before the County Commission in January.
Officials of Croy Engineering said, "In December 2021, Hamilton County purchased property in northern Hamilton County commonly referred to as the McDonald Farm. The property includes approximately 2,027 total acres, primarily consisting of agriculture and wooded land. Approximately 1,442 acres are located within Hamilton County, while the remainder is in Rhea County. The property has historically been used for agricultural and farming purposes and is currently zoned A-1 with a corridor along US-27 zoned R-2A.
"This request addresses partial rezoning for the property within Hamilton County, west of US-27. While the property also extends to the east side of US-27, there is currently no request for rezoning on the east side of US-27. Rezoning the property from A-1 and R-2A to C-2 and M-1 will allow Hamilton County to properly develop the property for Hamilton County Parks and Recreation use (C-2) and for potential manufacturing and industrial businesses (M-1) to locate to the site.
"For the partial rezoning to C-2, as part of Hamilton County’s vision, they are planning to rezone 238.4 acres for parks & recreation activities and use. Hamilton County Parks & Recreation could potentially have office space on the old homestead site and would entertain the need for an onsite restaurant. This area could also host the County Fair annually.
"For the partial rezoning of 871 acres to M-1, Hamilton County has applied for a portion of the property to become a Certified Site through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The site certification committee has stated that the site cannot be certified without proper zoning for potential companies to locate on the property. Rezoning to M-1 for portions of the site would potentially allow for the State of Tennessee to invest millions of dollars to provide water, wastewater, and
other infrastructure improvements for economic development to the site and the region."