Cheatham County halts rural resort zoning talks after months of public opposition

The Cheatham County Planning Commission voted 5-2 Thursday night to halt discussion of a proposed county-wide zoning amendment that would allow rural resort developments, pausing months of public opposition to the controversial measure.

Kingston Springs representative Brian McCain was absent from the vote. Fellow Kingston Springs representative Matt Von Lunen and Planning Commission Chair Mark Jarrell cast the two dissenting votes, after both had played leading roles in discussions on the proposal in recent months.

The proposed amendment would establish regulations for “Rural Mixed-Use Planned Unit Developments” countywide, a designation tied to a proposed resort project near the Narrows of the Harpeth in Kingston Springs.

Ahead of the planning commission vote to stop discussion of rural resort zoning, 20 people spoke in opposition of the zoning amendment while five people spoke in favor of it. 

District 6 County Commissioner Jimmy Hedgepath used his public forum time to point out that this development is all about the money. “I humbly ask you folks to think about this and ask yourself this one question, if a poor man walked in that door and asked for what the rich man is asking for, we wouldn’t even be here.” 

District 2 County Commissioner and Chair Tim Williamson closed out the public forum during Thursday’s meeting, clearly asking the planning commission to stop consideration of the rural resort zoning amendment. 

“I think it’s clear there's not enough support for this resolution to pass. Because of that, I do not believe it's productive to continue moving this proposal through the process when the support system is not there,” Williamson said. “The issue has generated a great deal of discussion and concern, and I believe the responsible thing to do is acknowledge where things currently stand rather than continue spending time and resources on a resolution that does not have a backing needed to move forward.” 

“Planning commission has an important role in reviewing proposals and making recommendations, but when it's evident that there is insufficient support for adoption, I believe it's appropriate to bring the process to a stop unless and until there's a clear direction and broader support to justify moving forward,” he added. “For that reason, I respectfully ask that this body seeks no further consideration of the resort rural resort resolution at this time.”

Von Lunen said after the vote: “I hope that this county can figure out great ways to continue to manage growth properly and still be able to get the revenues we need so I can keep sending my daughters to public school.”

“[This zoning amendment] is one more tool available to the county to help manage growth,” he added.

The vote came after months of public opposition and followed the release of public records detailing early meetings between the developer and county officials, including as far back as December 2024. The rural resort project was first introduced publicly in July 2025.

The public records indicate that C.B. Ragland’s original zoning amendment — introduced and ultimately denied by the planning commission in October — was drafted as early as December 2024. Records also show that the latest proposed amendment — introduced in December and described by officials as being developed with the county’s planning consultants at the Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC) — was also prepared by the developer. 

During Thursday’s public forum, resident and neighbor to the potential development near the Narrows, Jeremey Whitaker referenced the records, saying, “It's a direct email from Michael Bligh, county attorney, to C.B. Ragland's attorney back in November in anticipation of the December meeting. It sounds like he was giving him a heads up that GNRC developed a new amendment and wanted them to be aware of it. That's just one of dozens and dozens of communications between county officials and C.B. Ragland … Can we expect to get a fair shake? If that's going on, can we expect an honest, transparent process?”

Opposition leaders expressed cautious optimism following the vote.

“I am cautiously optimistic,” said Linda Ryder, a neighbor to the proposed development and a leader of the community opposition to the project.

Jaci Whitaker, a neighboring property owner and Jeremey’s wife, said following the vote: “I feel thankful because I feel like the planning commission – it took them awhile – but they finally listened to us.”

“We’re all people who want to preserve Cheatham County, and we all have different opinions about how that works, and I can respect that, but I think that in our particular area, we definitely should think about what low density and high density really means, and how that's going to affect generations to come,” she said. “We still probably have an uphill battle. I do not think this developer in particular – related to the area around the Narrows of the Harpeth geographical region – I feel like he's not going anywhere.” 

Representatives of the development team, led by C.B. Ragland, were present at the meeting. CEO Michael Hayes declined to comment following the planning commission’s vote.

“I was disappointed about the decision,” said Kingston Springs Vice Mayor Mike Hargis, who has publicly supported the project. “The important thing here is that it's not really a question of whether the land is going to be developed … It could be developed into 100 five acre lots on 560 acres, or it can be developed into a rural resort with a smaller footprint and a much bigger tax base.” 

“I hope this [proposal] isn’t lost because there’s not many investors running around wanting to spend $250 million in Cheatham County,” Hargis added. 

County Attorney Bligh said the commission’s vote halts discussion of the current proposal but does not prevent the issue from being reconsidered in the future.

The zoning amendment had been under discussion since September as county leaders considered resort developments in rural areas. It remains unclear whether a revised proposal will return for consideration.