Dickson County Removes Light Industrial Uses From C-1 Rural Commercial Zoning

CHARLOTTE, Tenn. — Light industrial development will no longer be permitted under Dickson County's C-1 Rural Center zoning designation following approval of changes to the county's zoning regulations.

The Dickson County Commission approved the change during its Sept. 21 meeting as part of a larger package of amendments recommended by the Dickson County Planning Commission.

The change does not prohibit light industrial development in unincorporated Dickson County. Instead, property intended for those uses will need an appropriate zoning designation rather than relying on C-1 rural commercial zoning.

County attorney Andrew Mills told commissioners the issue had been debated for the past couple of years.

"The third amendment deals with the C-1 Rural Center district," Mills said while presenting the zoning changes. "This was some debate over the past couple of years about the third permitted use in the C-1 district that allowed light industrial uses."

The amendment removes those light industrial uses from the list of permitted uses within C-1.

"If you want to move into an area for industrial uses, you're going to need a different zoning designation," Mills said.

Industrial Development Still Allowed Elsewhere

During discussion of the amendment, commissioners questioned whether removing light industrial uses from C-1 would leave the county with appropriate places for those types of businesses.

Mills said it would.

M-1 and M-2 zoning classifications remain available for industrial uses. Mills said he would have to review the C-2 regulations to provide a definitive answer about what is permitted within that classification.

"Absolutely," Mills said when asked whether the county still had places for light industrial development. "It's just taking it out of the rural commercial."

The distinction could become important when future industrial projects are proposed in unincorporated areas.

Instead of light industrial development being allowed as a permitted use simply because property carries a C-1 designation, a project may now require property to have another zoning classification appropriate for the proposed industrial use.

Drawing a Clearer Line Between Commercial and Industrial Uses

The C-1 district is intended as a rural commercial designation, and the amendment creates a clearer separation between commercial development permitted within that district and industrial development.

The change was one of four zoning amendments presented to commissioners following months of work by the Planning Commission and its subcommittee.

Other amendments addressed when development rights become vested, expanded requirements for traffic impact studies and established new access-management standards for subdivisions and commercial developments.

Commissioners ultimately approved the package.

While much of the discussion during the meeting centered on traffic and subdivision access, the C-1 amendment could have longer-term implications as development continues in unincorporated Dickson County.

For residents, developers and property owners, the change means a C-1 Rural Center designation alone will no longer provide a path for light industrial uses.

For someone seeking to establish that type of development, the question will now become whether the property already has — or can obtain — a zoning classification that allows industrial activity.

The change does not close Dickson County to light industry. Instead, it places those uses into zoning districts intended to accommodate industrial development, drawing a more defined line between rural commercial and industrial land uses.