Nashville

Metro Planners Weigh Copperline Ranch Plan for Former Kenny Rogers Estate on Brandau Road Oct. 22

The Metro Planning Commission takes up a policy amendment and a Specific Plan on Oct. 22 that would let Copperline Ranch, the former Kenny Rogers estate on Brandau Road in Hermitage, add lodging, event and agritourism uses on 47.08 acres. Staff recommends approval with conditions.

Tracy King

19 Oct 2026 • 5 min read

Metro Planning considers a rural tourism plan for Copperline Ranch on Brandau Road. Illustrative photo.

A Hermitage ranch once owned by Kenny Rogers is asking Metro for room to grow, and planning staff is on board. The Metro Planning Commission’s Oct. 22, 2026, agenda includes a request to rezone 47.08 acres on Brandau Road from Single-Family Residential (RS15) to Specific Plan (SP) for a mixed-use development at Copperline Ranch (2026SP-016-001), paired with a community plan amendment (2026CP-014-002).

The staff report says the property was formerly owned by country music artist Kenny Rogers, who used it as a private estate and recording location. Today it accommodates private events, equestrian activities and music industry uses. The proposal would expand and formalize those operations to include additional recreational, hospitality and rural tourism uses.

Staff recommends approval of the policy amendment and approval of the SP with conditions. The meeting starts at 4:00 p.m. at the Sonny West Conference Center in the Howard Office Building, 700 President Ronald Reagan Way.

What Copperline Ranch is asking for

The SP request covers 3139, 3145, 3163 and 3165 Brandau Road, an unnumbered Brandau Road parcel and part of 3087 Brandau Road, about 1,528 feet northeast of Hoggett Ford Road. Councilmember Jordan Huffman is the applicant; the owners are listed as Brandau Estates, LLC, Copperline Ranch Agricenter, LLC, William Edwards, and the Paul and JoAnn Odum-Trust.

The setting is unusual for a Nashville rezoning. The Nashville & Eastern Railroad, which also carries the WeGo Star, runs along the northern edge of the study area next to Brandau Road. The Stones River sits across Brandau Road to the north and west, and Stoners Creek, a tributary of the Stones River, runs through the ranch.

The staff report describes expanded event and gathering spaces, equestrian uses and trails, lodging, visitor amenities and other ranch activities, plus preservation of the historic Odum Aqueduct, which is fed by a spring.

Key numbers in the staff report

Item	Figure
SP acreage	47.08 acres
Acreage in proposed policy text	Approximately 50 acres
Current zoning	RS15 (single-family)
Maximum lots under RS15, acreage alone	136
Maximum building area under SP	120,000 square feet
Maximum floor-area ratio	0.1
Height limit	Three stories in 40 feet
Access points to Brandau Road	Four
Live and amplified music cutoff	8:00 p.m.
Decibel limit at stage soundboard	96db

Source: Metro Planning Commission staff reports for Oct. 22, 2026. The SP application and analysis use 47.08 acres; the proposed supplemental policy text says Copperline Ranch covers approximately 50 acres.

A rural policy that stays in place

The land sits under Rural Maintenance (T2 RM) policy, which the staff report says is intended to maintain rural character as a permanent choice for living in Davidson County, not as a holding zone for future urban development. Conservation (CO) policy covers buffers and floodplains along Stoners Creek and steep slopes.

Instead of replacing those policies, the amendment would lay a Supplemental Policy Area — SPA 14-T2-RM-01 — over them to support farm and rural tourism uses along Brandau Road. The proposed policy text lists indoor and outdoor event spaces, event barns, an equestrian center, a pool, tennis courts, writing retreats, a music production studio, RV areas, rental cabins, a general store and a café among the possible activities.

That approach matters for neighbors. RS15 zoning, by acreage alone, would permit up to 136 lots, according to the report. The SP instead caps building area at 120,000 square feet with a 0.1 floor-area ratio, which staff says keeps a small footprint relative to open space.

Conditions aimed at the subdivision next door

Staff’s recommended conditions include:

A Type B landscape buffer yard with a 6-foot-tall masonry wall along the property line abutting the subdivision to the south, built before use permits are issued.
Commercial noise standards under Section 9.20.040 of the Metro Code.
Live and amplified music ending no later than 8:00 p.m.
Decibel output limited to 96db at the soundboard location for the stage.
No digital, video or billboard signage.

The report names the neighborhood two ways. Its community participation section says the ranch owner hosted an open house for neighbors in the Magnolia Hills subdivision. Its analysis and conditions refer to the Magnolia Farms boundary and subdivision to the south. Residents should check the final plan sheets to confirm which subdivision line the wall follows.

Staff’s conditions limit permitted uses to those allowed in the Commercial Attraction (CA) district, except for added and prohibited uses specified in the plan. The plan excludes day care, alternative financial institutions, auto sales and services, car washes and outpatient clinics. Staff conditions add uses including agricultural activity, temporary festivals, an artisan distillery, a tasting room and an airport/heliport.

Schools and community input

The Metro schools section projects 10 elementary, 8 middle and 8 high school students for the existing RS15 district and says an estimate for the SP is premature because the number of residential units may vary. It lists Tulip Grove Elementary as over capacity and DuPont Tyler Middle as at capacity.

Councilmember Huffman hosted one community meeting, according to the report, and staff had not received public comments at the time the report was published.

How the vote works

Both Brandau Road items are listed “On Consent: Tentative.” Staff reads tentative consent items at the start of the meeting; if opposition is present, the item is heard in order, and if not, it goes on the consent agenda. The commission recommends zone changes and specific plans to the Metro Council, which has final authority.

Metro has been rewriting how growth and preservation fit together countywide; see Nashville Planning Drops Woodmont, Harding and Two Old Hickory Segments From Transit Map. For a recent SP that mixed housing types on a larger site, see Metro Planning OKs Elam Station SP: 110 Multifamily, 77 Lots.

Nashville dates to watch

Oct. 22, 2026, 4:00 p.m. — Metro Planning Commission, Sonny West Conference Center, 700 President Ronald Reagan Way.
Tuesday before the meeting, 3:00 p.m. — Deadline for written comments to the Planning Department.
After the commission — Metro Council decides the SP.

What it means for Hermitage homeowners

The rural policy is not going away. The SPA overlays T2 RM and CO; it does not replace them.
Noise rules are written in. An 8:00 p.m. music cutoff and a decibel limit are recommended conditions.
Selling nearby? A venue next door is a fair disclosure topic. So is a masonry buffer wall and a cap on how much can be built.

Own a home in Hermitage, Donelson or anywhere in Davidson County? Get a free home valuation, or request a cash offer if you would rather skip showings.

What is Copperline Ranch asking Metro to approve?

A rezoning of 47.08 acres on Brandau Road from RS15 to Specific Plan (2026SP-016-001) for a mixed-use development, plus a community plan amendment adding Supplemental Policy Area SPA 14-T2-RM-01 for farm and rural tourism uses.

Was Copperline Ranch owned by Kenny Rogers?

Metro’s staff report says the property was formerly owned by country music artist Kenny Rogers, who used it as a private estate and recording location.

How much could be built under the Specific Plan?

Staff conditions limit development to a maximum floor-area ratio of 0.1 and 120,000 square feet of building floor area, with buildings limited to three stories in 40 feet.

What noise limits are proposed?

Staff conditions require commercial noise standards, live and amplified music ending no later than 8:00 p.m., and decibel output limited to 96db at the stage soundboard.