Planning commission defers Owen Valley subdivision after cemetery concerns; public hearing left open

Williamson County planning commissioners voted to defer consideration of the Owen Valley subdivision — a proposed 72‑lot conservation subdivision on 374.29 acres off Owen Hill Road — and required additional cemetery surveys, after residents and the Tennessee Historical Commission raised concerns that graves and the site of a former church and school may be on or near planned infrastructure.

The commission accepted staff’s recommendation to delay action to the Aug. 20, 2025 meeting and voted to keep the public hearing open so residents can comment again after the applicant conducts the requested surveys. Staff asked the applicant to delineate the cemetery limits using ground‑penetrating radar (GPR), identify any other burial locations, and locate any remaining vestiges of a church and school so those features can be shown and labeled on the concept plan.

The move followed more than 30 minutes of public comment from neighbors, descendants and preservation specialists who described a site variously referred to in…