Tennessee family seeks rezoning of 850 acres for energy campus amid local concerns

The Wright family, owners of Wright Brothers Construction, submitted applications to rezone and annex roughly 850 acres west of Interstate 75 and north of Old Lower River Road in Bradley County, Tennessee. Their Project River proposal envisions a power complex capable of generating up to 1,500 megawatts through a 500-megawatt woody biomass plant and two natural-gas units, plus a backup connection to the Tennessee Valley Authority grid.

Developers suggest the site could eventually house a data center or other energy-intensive operations, though no customer has signed a contract. Local residents have raised concerns about potential impacts on the Hiwassee River, groundwater, noise, traffic and emissions, and have questioned whether promised jobs will benefit the community. The upcoming votes by Cleveland’s planning commission and city council will decide on rezoning and annexation, after which detailed environmental, geological and traffic reviews would be required before any construction begins.