Smyrna Town Council approved a scope and fee agreement with Sain Associates on July 8 to provide an independent review of four traffic impact studies covering developments that will affect the Jefferson Pike/State Route 102 corridor.

The contract covers review of traffic studies for four residential projects (LifePointe, Queencliff, Brawley Downs and Lynnwood) and is intended to ensure the town has an independent assessment of projected impacts and mitigation needs. Planning staff and several council members said they want Sain to analyze the studies both individually and holistically to advise the town on cumulative corridor impacts and whether additional improvements — turn lanes, signals or access restrictions — will be required.

Why it matters: Multiple developments along the same state route can interact to create traffic impacts not captured by a single project study. TDOT has requested a full build‑out plan for the corridor; an independent town review gives the council and staff a second technical opinion to inform permit conditions and mitigation.

Council and staff discussion: Planning staff told council Sain expects to complete its review within about two weeks after formal engagement. Councilmembers asked how disagreements between a developer's traffic study and the town's independent review would be resolved. Town staff and legal counsel said the town has the authority to require compliance with the traffic findings it accepts as part of permit and site‑plan approvals, and that developers seeking permits would need to address deficiencies identified by the town‑accepted study before moving forward.

Developers have expressed concern about being asked to spend for traffic counts and studies before approvals are finalized; councilors acknowledged that balance, calling the arrangement a pilot for major projects. Staff described this as a pilot program to determine whether to use a long‑term contract for third‑party reviews on larger developments.

Decision: After discussion the council voted by voice to authorize the consultant scope and fee. Staff said the review memorandum will return to planning and the council, and that staff will use Sain's recommendations to negotiate mitigation with developers and coordinate with TDOT on state‑route improvements.

Ending: Councilmembers asked staff to return to a joint quarterly meeting to report on how the pilot review went and whether the town should extend third‑party review to other major developments going forward.