Collierville leaders approved new zoning for 21.3 acres on U.S. 72, a needed approval to move the suburban school system’s buses to the site away from Collierville Elementary.

The Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen vote was 5-1, with Alderman Jewel Jordan casting the lone vote against the changed zoning.

The matter was originally slated for the consent agenda during Monday’s meeting, meaning it was listed among many items voted on as a group. However, Jordan requested it be moved to the regular agenda, due to concerns he’d heard.

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Many of the concerns voiced Monday — air pollution, noise and traffic — were repeated from the public hearing two weeks ago.

Residents in the Alcorn Village and Harris Estates neighborhoods said they understood the need, but wanted the board to consider a site further from their homes.

“My rights are being violated at the hands of those who swore to treat residents respectfully and equally,” Virginia Strickland, a resident who lives near the proposed bus site, said.

Strickland said when she went to Collierville High 50 years ago, Black girls had to fight to be on the cheerleading squad, and now she’s fighting a similar battle.

The zoning for the new site was general commercial, and the eastern portion of the site will take on the new industrial zoning. About 6.7 acres bordering the highway will remain commercial.

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The residents expressed worries that the board’s concern was about the view from U.S. 72, but accused the board of not caring about those who would see it from the back.

Collierville Schools plans to follow through with its purchase, now that zoning is approved. There are still several reviews needed before the buses are moved, including a conditional-use permit and site plan approvals, Mayor Maureen Fraser said.

Thomas Dougherty, Collierville Schools chief of operations, said the current lot is inefficient. He said the site can also serve other needs the district has.

The school system also wants to place a maintenance shop for buses, a larger warehouse with freezer capabilities to centralize food storage and have an office space for drivers to sit while waiting in between shifts.

Backyards of homes abut the current lot. The spots the buses could move to are at least 700 feet from homes.

Last week, bus noises could not be heard 700 feet away as the vehicles departed the elementary campus for their afternoon routes.