Commission clears expansion of Mount Washington Road apartments; sidewalk binding element added

The Planning Commission recommended Metro Council approve a rezoning from R‑4 to R‑7, a major preliminary subdivision and a detailed district development plan to expand an approved Mount Washington Road apartment development by 82 units at 11100 Garden Trace Drive.

Staff said the site is an extension of a previously approved development to the north that already had a plan for 666 units and that the new parcel provides the second roadway connection required to enable additional units. The applicant’s plan proposes three‑story apartment buildings and two‑story townhomes, with required setbacks provided and tree canopy/landscape resources preserved where possible. The site contains small jurisdictional wetlands; staff said permitted buffers are shown and that any wetland impacts would require appropriate permitting and mitigation.

Commission discussion revisited traffic and circulation. A traffic consultant told the commission that prior studies forecast that roughly 70% of site traffic would head toward Preston Highway and that adding the 82 units would generate about 56 additional PM peak‑hour trips — a negligible impact on Garden Trace Drive, the consultant said. The developer confirmed major roadway improvements and a new signalized intersection at Mount Washington Road and Preston Highway are part of the broader project approvals and said construction drawings are in progress.

The commission read into the record a binding element proposed by the applicant requiring the extension of sidewalks south along Garden Trace Drive to connect to the north side of Hasbrooke Drive, and it added qualifying language: applicants must construct the sidewalks prior to requesting a certificate of occupancy for the third apartment building, provided adequate right‑of‑way already exists. The commission recommended approval of the rezoning, subdivision and DDP with binding elements and forwarded the item to Metro Council.