Planning board recommends denying 250-unit mixed-use rezoning on Highlands Parkway

The Smyrna Planning and Zoning Board on Aug. 11 voted to recommend denial of rezoning case Z25-007, a proposal to rezone about 6.73 acres on Highlands Parkway for a five-story mixed-use project with 250 multifamily units and 2,500 square feet of retail. The recommendation will be forwarded to the mayor and city council for final consideration on Sept. 22.

The project, submitted by WP South Acquisitions LLC and represented at the meeting by Kevin Moore and Blake Brady of Wood Partners, would require a change of the property's future land use from industrial to mixed use and six variances. City staff recommended denial, citing the comprehensive plan's land-use designations and potential conflicts between new residential uses and existing industrial and freight operations along Highlands Parkway.

"Staff is recommending denial of the land use change and the rezoning," Joey Stobbs, Planner II with the City of Smyrna Community Development Department, told the board, summarizing the staff report. Stobbs said Highlands Parkway is characterized in the future land use map as an industrial employment corridor and that adding 250 residential units would create conflicts with heavy freight traffic.

Wood Partners representatives said the market has not supported redevelopment of the site for new industrial or office uses and argued the proposal would help meet local housing demand. "The market has simply not responded," Kevin Moore said, describing past marketing of the parcel. Blake Brady, a member of Wood Partners' development team, told the board the developer would offer proffers to address circulation concerns: "As a proffered condition, Wood Partners will pay for that signalized intersection," he said, referring to a signal warrant study and plans for an intersection improvement the developer offered to fund.

The applicant said the proposal would include 250 residential units consisting of 121 one-bedroom units, 115 two-bedroom units and 15 three-bedroom units, with 377 parking spaces planned for the development. The project also would set aside five units at 80% of area median income, a condition the applicant said was discussed with Council member Oglesby.

A resident from the Highlands View neighborhood, Eric Banks, spoke in opposition during public comment, citing traffic and parking concerns. "So my questions would be, mathematically, how many parking spaces, are they planning for those 400 units?" Banks asked, expressing his view that the area is already congested. The applicant replied that the plan provides 377 parking spaces and reiterated the proposed five units at 80% AMI.

Board members discussed variances the project requires, including increased density (the proposal would raise density from 25 units per acre to about 38 units per acre), larger front setbacks, and elimination of certain pedestrian-building edge requirements. Staff said they do not support the six variances listed in the application.

After discussion the Planning and Zoning Board made a motion to recommend denial of Z25-007. The board chair recorded the motion as carried 7-0; the mover and seconder were not specified in the meeting record. The board's recommendation will be transmitted to the mayor and council, which has final authority over rezoning and land-use changes.

The record from the meeting contains the staff report, the applicant's site plan and elevations, the proffered signal improvement, and the applicant's offer of five units at 80% AMI. Whether the mayor and council will adopt the board's recommendation or take a different position will be decided at their Sept. 22 meeting.