Tupelo planning committee backs rezoning of 12.8 acres for 11-home subdivision amid neighbor concerns about traffic, drainage and tree removal

The Tupelo Planning Committee on Sept. 8 recommended rezoning 12.8 acres between McCullough Boulevard and Pecan Grove Road from Mixed Use Commercial Corridor (MUCC) to Low Density Residential (LDR) and reviewed a preliminary plat that would subdivide the land into 11 residential lots.

The action follows a public hearing in which nearby homeowners raised safety and infrastructure concerns, including increased traffic on the single‑entry Pecan Grove cul‑de‑sac, recurring backyard flooding tied to Town Creek, and removal of trees on a narrow buffer strip between the proposed development and the existing neighborhood.

Dr. Max Hutchinson, the applicant and developer, presented the rezoning request and described the parcel as “a piece of property that is pretty well landlocked” and unsuited to commercial development. Hutchinson said the site “lends itself very well to a large‑lot subdivision” and that he plans 11 lots with green‑space buffers and covenants that would join the new lots to the Pecan Grove homeowners association.

Pat Faulkner, a city consultant who prepared the staff review, told the committee that rezoning would be appropriate because the site lacks practical access for commercial uses. “Without access to McCullough Boulevard . . . the property is not suitable for its current zoning. It will never be…