We hit 2,500 signatures! Here is what we do next...
Hi everyone,
We did it. In just a few short days, our petition has crossed 2,500 signatures and growing!
That is 2,500+ neighbors standing shoulder-to-shoulder to protect our community from Project River. This incredible momentum proves what we already knew: Cleveland does not want a massive industrial campus destroying our beautiful natural spaces, threatening our quality of life, and bypassing local safety restrictions.
But right now, an online signature isn't enough.
The Cleveland City Council and Planning Commission explicitly stated they are holding off to gauge public sentiment. They need to see our faces, not just our clicks.
We actually have the legal upper hand here, but it requires us to apply intense public pressure right now. Here is our exact Plan to Make a Difference to protect nature and our community and defeat this project:
1. The Legal Roadblock: Pivot to the Bradley County Commission
Because the 850-acre Project River site sits 7 miles out in the county near established neighborhoods, developers are attempting a loophole to pull it into the city limits. This violates standard Non-Contiguous Boundary Laws because it doesn't even touch the current Cleveland city limits. To force this through, they need a special City/County Interlocal Agreement.
We are calling on the Bradley County Commission to immediately initiate a Growth Plan Amendment. If the County steps up and updates the growth plan first, it legally blocks the city from acting as an industrial loophole and protects our community from heavy development.
2. A Unified Email Day:
We are organizing a synchronized day for everyone to email the City Council, Planning Commission, and Bradley County Commission. We will provide a simple, respectful template so our written objections go directly into the official public record.
We need every single one of our 2,500+ signers to email the Cleveland Municipal Planning Commission, the Cleveland City Council, and the Bradley County Commission on that exact day, demanding they prioritize the voices of local families and reject the annexation.
3. The Public Showdown: Saturday, September 12th
We need to turn our digital signatures into a real-world crowd that the developers cannot ignore. We are planning to pack the upcoming public meetings en masse. We are asking everyone to wear a bright red shirt so the local news cameras and city officials can see a literal sea of neighbors standing up for our community.
What: The Public Developer Meeting on Project River
When: Saturday, September 12th, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Where: The PIE Center, 2337 Parker St NE, Cleveland, TN 37311
Action: Plan to arrive 20–30 minutes early. Bring a neighbor. Let's pack the room to show a unified wall of community resistance.
4. The Official Vote: Tuesday, September 15th at 6:00 PM
The Cleveland Municipal Planning Commission will formally review the rezoning request. This is the first official gatekeeper. If the Planning Commission votes to deny the rezoning, it sends a powerful message to the City Council that our community is not for sale. We need to flood City Hall and make our voices heard for the official record.
We will formally download and deliver our certified signature pages straight to the planning staff so our thousands of voices are sitting physically inside the commissioners' voting packets before they meet.
What you can do right now:
Because we want our synchronized email push and meeting turnouts to have the biggest impact possible, we aren't posting the exact dates, times, and copy-and-paste scripts on this public page. To get the exact dates for the email day, the weekend meeting locations, and the easy scripts to copy, please do one of these things right now:
- Mark your calendar for the PIE Center meeting (Sept 12), and the Planning Commission vote (Sept 15).
- Spread the word: Share this petition link on your Facebook, other social media and with friends and family to help us hit 3,000 signatures before Wednesday: https://c.org/TXPKLRZfzh
- Check your email: If you opted into organizer updates when you signed this petition, keep an eye on your inbox. I will be sending the exact schedule and templates straight to you.
- Join our Facebook group: Reject Project River https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19LWNwYAWG/ so we can chat directly and stay on the same page.
Let’s turn 2,500 digital signatures into a real, unified community presence. Thank you all so much for caring about our home! See you on September 12th!
Standing with you,
Megan Phipps, Local Resident & Petition Organizer