Abandoned convenience store to see major upgrades in Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — One local community updates their future land usage plans and votes for a potential project to be built.

City planner with Brownsville, Shelton Merrell, shared the progress of Brownsville future land use plan and the upgrade of one convenience store.

“It’s gonna be put in action in one vein. The planning commission has adopted the amendment. It still has to be certified to the municipal board and then they were gonna look at an ordinance to reflect those amendments,” said Shelton Merrell, city planner for Brownsville.

Thursday the Brownsville Planning Commission voted that a former convenience store could expect a face lift. Currently the building is abandoned and has four gas pumps.

“[They will] Remodel that proposed business and they’re gonna enhance the look or the aesthetics of it and the building composition. They’re gonna add two more bays for gasoline pumps. Basically, they’re gonna turn an eye sore into a beautiful place,” said Merrell.

The original Brownsville future land use plan had some areas in the city marked as employment centers or commercial centers. That change was voted on during this meeting.

“An employment center can mean anything that’s going to accommodate large volumes of entry. Such as institutional, usually school and things of that nature. Industries whether it be general industrial or restrictive industrial as well as commercial,” said Merrell.

Some greenway areas were changed due to further research of the property. The vote changed a few mapped out locations.

“Change those four properties there to town commercial to reflect the existing structures that are there, that are all commercial structures and commercial businesses,” said Merrell.

This plan was researched in March 2024 and was approved by in July 2024. The reason for this plan was to be ahead of infrastructure happening near Brownsville.

“BlueOval City south of the town of Stanton. Therefore industrial development concern that mega site that was there— the 4,100 acres. We knew that it would be to our benefit to get ahead and create a general land use plan for the city,” said Merrell.

During the meeting residents had the opportunity to speak at the public hearing, however no one had anything to share.

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