Aldermen approve amendment to Center Hill Plantation plan, add open space and senior housing

Olive Branch — The Board of Aldermen on Sept. 16 approved an amendment to the Center Hill Plantation planned unit development that raises the development’s open-space total and shifts acreage from commercial use to senior housing while keeping the original 1,133-lot density.

City planning staff told aldermen the subject property encompasses about 751.67 acres annexed into Olive Branch in 2021. The amendment increases open space from roughly 20% to about 22% of the site and would restore the total single-family lot count to the 1999 plan while reducing the amount of land devoted to commercial uses.

Why it matters: The property sits along DeSoto Road, Center Hill Road and Goodman Road at the city’s gateway. Changes to commercial acreage, open space and access will shape traffic, neighborhood buffers and the timing of sewer and road extensions needed to begin building in future phases.

Staff summary and developer presentation: Planning staff outlined the amendment as three geographically distinct areas: Area 1 (commercial and mixed uses), Area 2 (no changes), and Area 3 (residential east of Center Hill Road). The amendment reduces the commercial footprint while expanding senior housing and senior-oriented services near Goodman Road, converts some 40,000-square-foot lots to smaller lots organized around internal streets, and adds curb-and-gutter street sections, sidewalks and traffic-calming circles.

Michelle Yee of DT Design Studio, speaking for applicant David Halley, said the amendment mixes lot sizes to improve market viability and adds about 65 acres of open space versus the 1999 plan. "We're increasing the amount of open space about 65 acres above the 1999 plan and about 11 acres above the 2018 plan," Yee said.

Developer David Halley of Collierville described plans for coordinated architectural standards and higher-end product. He told the board he expects the project to be developed over many years in multiple phases and that he intends slow phasing to avoid flooding the market.

Public input and mitigation: Neighbors and pastors asked about road widening, connectivity and long-range traffic impacts, particularly on Center Hill Road and Goodman Road. Planning staff and the developer said widening and lane additions would be developer-funded as phases move forward and depend on MDOT and city design requirements.

Condition added at approval: The planning commission’s condition to eliminate several driveway curb cuts onto Center Hill Road — shifting access to internal streets — was satisfied in the revised master plan and a similar mitigation pledge was incorporated into the aldermen’s approval. The board’s motion to approve included the additional direction that the developer work to mitigate driveways onto Center Hill for the West Side lots at the time that phase is brought forward.

Outcome and next steps: The board voted to approve the project-text amendment with the driveway/access condition. Staff said final plats and infrastructure plans will be submitted by phase; development is not expected to start immediately but will proceed over several years once central sewer and road work are in place.

Quotations in context: Yee summarized the tradeoffs in the amendment by saying the plan keeps the original density while adding open space and senior housing. Halley described the project as an upscale, phased development and emphasized that road and infrastructure upgrades required by Olive Branch’s standards would be part of future phases.

Looking ahead: The applicant must submit final plats and detailed infrastructure plans for each phase. City staff and the developer will coordinate curb, gutter and roadway improvements tied to subdivision approvals and MDOT requirements for highway access.