Board denies proposal to add 110 apartments to Crompler Place PUD after lengthy public hearing

The Olive Branch Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to deny a project‑text amendment and associated preliminary development plan for Crompler Place that would have added multifamily residential uses and 110 rental units.

The application, submitted by developer representatives including Corey Brady and Priyank Shaw on behalf of Crompler Holdings LLC (Nimesh Patel), proposed five three‑story residential buildings and a three‑story mixed‑use building on about 7.31 acres along Goodman Road and Lodging Lane. The mixed‑use building would have included about 7,000 square feet of ground‑floor retail with apartments above; the project was proposed in three phases and at 15 dwelling units per acre.

City planning staff and the planning commission presented the application and explained legal and procedural considerations, including that recent petitions from adjacent property owners triggered a super‑majority voting rule for approvals under Mississippi zoning law: if owners representing a specified percentage of adjoining property object, the board must require a three‑fifths majority (five of seven) to approve a rezoning‑type change. The board recognized the super‑majority threshold before the hearing.

Staff summarized the project and evaluation factors and said the development would generate substantially fewer vehicle trips than the maximum commercial build‑out currently permitted on the parcels. Staff also flagged that the city’s future land‑use map designates the parcels as a “major commercial node,” not high‑density residential, and that the area’s project text (PUD) historically limited residential uses in this portion of the PUD.

Applicant Corey Brady told the board his group is a family‑owned real estate developer seeking high‑quality, long‑term rental housing and submitted market figures showing high apartment occupancy in nearby properties. "We are a family owned real estate investment and development business ... we do everything with a long term outlook," Brady said, and the applicant said average rent would be roughly $1,800 a month (range given on record: about $1,600–$2,300 depending on unit size).

But dozens of nearby homeowners spoke in opposition at the public hearing, citing concerns about compatibility with single‑family neighborhoods, traffic, school capacity, property values, privacy impacts from three‑story buildings overlooking backyards and aesthetic character. Resident Renee Frazier summarized that opposition in planning terms: "The comprehensive plan ... says Olive Branch is first and foremost a residential community with single family neighborhoods as a central unit of growth," she told the board.

Board members discussed the project’s fit with the comprehensive plan, the PUD’s original intent (hotel/commercial uses along Lodging Lane), and neighborhood compatibility. Several aldermen said they were sympathetic to the applicant’s rationale for more housing but unconvinced the site was the right location for the requested density and form. Alderman Collins moved to deny the application; Alderman Wallace seconded. The motion to deny passed on a roll‑call vote of 7–0.

Staff noted the planning commission had recommended approval, conditioned with design standards and fencing. The board’s denial leaves the existing project text (commercial uses) in place; staff told the board the parcels could still be developed under current commercial allowances (for example, hotels or offices) without further board rezoning action.

The developer and applicant team said they respected the board’s decision and the public’s concerns and indicated they would consider next steps outside the hearing record.