Monday, October 5, 2009
Around Town / Phillips John Rich Has Plans for Whites Creek Property
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 10:45 AM
Well, turns out that he's not planning a toaster.
The zoning change, which will go before the Planning Commission Oct. 8, would allow him "to convert the existing residence into a regional tourist attraction known as 'Plowboy Mansion' to permit special events, restaurant, tours of the residence, artisan distillery and micro-brewery, visitor center, specialty retail, seasonal performance entertainment venue, shuttle bus transportation around the facility, and memorabilia museum."
Eh, maybe I'm being seduced by the dark side, but I kind of think this sounds cool.
And it makes good business sense for a man who gets drunk and picks fights as often as Rich does to stop buying liquor and start producing his own. Might I recommend John Rich Black-Eye-On-The-City Label as his premium brand?
Comments (14)
Showing 1-14 of 14
How large an ego must a man have to even think of something as this? I'm no size queen, but I would guess the bigger the better.
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Soon you'll be writing about how I'm really not such a bastard after all.
Welcome to the dark side.
Now you can have drunks cruising your neighborhood day and night. Fun! He's gonna move to Love Circle and leave you folks with the trash, noise, puking, etc.
Artisanal distillery & brewery? Betsy, they'll need a taster! And it's less of a commute!
I've always wanted to walk to work!
But I'm starting to feel a little apprehensive about the outdoor concerts. I'm hoping the zoning commission will push for outdoor acoustic, un-amped concerts, or will at least allow for retaliatory blaring of music by the neighbors.
NM, the thing about his neck of the woods is that the drunk driving problem will solve itself. They'll either plummet into a cow pasture trying to get back out to the interstate or they'll explode themselves crashing into the gas station.
Still, we're getting off light compared to what he's doing to Love Circle. I mean, how's he even going to get his tour bus up there?!
Wow. How about doing just a little homework? I attended neighborhood meeting at the Fontanel last week and learned a lot about this project. Rich has nothing to do with it at all. He does not own that property. (Might want to change your headline, Betsy.)
And as for all these reader comments about the potential fallout...maybe you should relax until you get more information. What I heard last week tells me that this will be done responsibly and with the history and rural character of Whites Creek in mind. I for one am excited that someone wants to invest in Whites Creek and bring new jobs, new recreational opportunities, and new life to my neighborhood.
I live right close to the Plowboy Mansion and first thought that Eddie Arnold had bought the property when is was renamed.
I think that I would favor the conversion of the property as proposed. I am just curious if it would be promoted as Big & Rich, John Rich, Barbara Mandrell or none of the above. So much to work with. Just a little out of the way.
WC, perhaps you should also try to get over yourself just a little bit, too. And then we will all be even.
True enough that John Rich doesn't own the property. Big and Rich's management owned it and then sold a majority interest in the property to a California-based Tower Land Co.--though what is meant by a "majority interest" is unclear to me--and a Fontanel Properties, LLC is appearing before the Zoning Commission, presumably at the behest of Tower Land Co.
And yet, somehow, throughout this, John Rich continued to regularly stay at and visit the place, even going so far as to film his reality show there. And the plans for the place are certainly banking on his persona.
Interestingly enough, a "Fontanel Properties, LLC" also appeared before the Zoning Commission in 2006, back when Big & Rich's people more straight-forwardly owned the place, to get permission for another development scheme that didn't come to fruition.
So, I think (and thought yesterday) that the evidence that John Rich and his people were still involved with the development of the property in some ways was pretty obvious.
And yet, I didn't want to derail the whole discussion with a giant nerd-fest.
But here's one if you want it anyway.
I also think it has the potential to be a very nice addition to the neighborhood. That's not going to stop me from making fun of it, though.
...special events, restaurant, tours of the residence, artisan distillery and micro-brewery, visitor center, specialty retail, seasonal performance entertainment venue, shuttle bus transportation around the facility, and memorabilia museum...
I vote for a bungee tower and slick track.
Rich is nothing but a little dumbass coke snorting punk that couldnt tell his ass from a hole in the ground. He couldnt operate a kool aid stand muchless anything else. He'll be broke in 5 years or less
This moron needs to just drink himself to death and get out of our lives once and for all. I've known a ffew megalomaniacs, but rich tops the list. One of these days he's going to picka fight with some dude who will wipe the floor with his ass. People like him don't deserve a place on the planet. May he and his assinine idea rot in hell.
