By Laura Crosio
Town of Clayton leaders gave the green light to rezone nearly 100 acres of farmland adjacent to a nearby subdivision for future industrial development.
Homeowners from the Edinburgh subdivision pleaded with council members on Aug. 3 to reconsider changing the land’s designation. They said the neighborhood’s developer, Norwood Thompson, assured property owners the area would remain rural.
The two tracts of land approved by the council are located off US 70 Business and Gordon Road. They are in close proximity to Griffols and Novo Nordisk, two of Clayton’s major industrial businesses.
“We’re worried about population, noise and traffic,” said Slateford Drive resident Lisa Wiley. “We were told this area was residential. Having a factory across from us will decrease property value. It’s hard to believe with all the land in Johnson County, you have to pick this site.”
“I feel like this makes a lot of sense for the town and the county,” noted Councilman Butch Lawter. “It’s bound by industrial users.”
“Right now we have a beautiful cornfield that we look into, it’s gorgeous,” said Wylie. “We picked that location because we were right outside city limits but could access whatever we needed.”
Eddelstone Court resident Mark Turner also opposed the council’s decision stating property owners were initially told the area was slated for agricultural and residential usage and could not be sold due to the fact it backs up to a light industrial area.
Town Planning Director David DeYoung said Clayton’s ordinances require any future development to install a landscape buffer 6’ tall and 10 to 20 foot wide, which could include a combination of shrubs and trees.
