Rutherford County planning commission defers Twin Oaks subdivision after traffic, drainage concerns

The Rutherford County Regional Planning Commission on June 24 deferred preliminary plan approval for the proposed Twin Oaks subdivision, an 88‑lot project on about 71.6 acres, after commissioners and staff said outstanding traffic, drainage and design issues need more work.

Planning staff said the project would create 84 single‑family lots and several common‑area parcels, all sized at least 15,000 square feet under RM zoning, and that approval would require a waiver for a block length that exceeds the subdivision regulation limit of 1,600 feet. "All of these lots are a minimum of 15,000 square feet consistent with the RM zoning since this is not a rezoning request or a PUD request," planning staff said.

Commissioners and county engineers focused on access and intersection safety. The project proposes entrances on Twin Oak Drive, Adams Drive and an off‑tract connection; staff said Adams Drive is narrow and will need to be rebuilt and widened through the limits of the development. "This is Adams Drive and you can see it's very narrow. It'll essentially have to be rebuilt and widened," the county's traffic reviewer said.

Staff also described geometric and grade challenges at the Twin Oak Drive intersection with Las Casas Pike (State Route 96), where heavy quarry traffic and a large box culvert affect sight lines and grades. The traffic evaluation recommended dedicated left‑ and right‑turn lanes for site entrances and intersection rebuilding; staff said turn lanes from Route 96 onto Twin Oak Drive and related work will require coordination and formal review with the Tennessee Department of Transportation. "Not as of yet, but they will be. So we'll have to have meetings," staff said of TDOT involvement.

Developer representatives told the commission they had completed environmental and flood analyses, received TDEC concurrence that one wetland on the site will be preserved, and had prepared a hydrologic analysis of the 100‑year floodplain. "We had TDEC concurrence that there is 1 wetland that we are preserving," said Chris McGuire of Huddleston Steel Engineering, the project's engineer. McGuire also said the design team is willing to relocate the end of the long straightaway and create a three‑way stop to create a natural pause point rather than installing speed humps.

The developer, who identified himself as Randy Friesom, told commissioners the firm has built multiple projects in the county and signaled the houses would be higher‑end product. "These are gonna be high dollar houses," Friesom said.

Commissioners raised multiple concerns before voting to defer. They questioned the feasibility of traffic calming on a long straightaway, the highway department's willingness to maintain speed humps, sight‑distance and grading constraints at the Route 96 intersection, and the need for a December or later meeting with TDOT and the county highway department to finalize intersection plans. Several commissioners requested alternatives such as a roundabout or relocated entrance; staff cautioned that TVA transmission lines limit some options at the long straightaway's midpoint.

Following a motion to defer to allow the developer to meet with staff and address the concerns, the commission recorded votes in favor from Jim Aberwater, Jeff Phillips, Mike Kush, Jim Thompson, Michael Shirley, Jason Beavers, Amber Brown and Pettis Reed. The motion carried and the item was deferred.

What happens next: staff will work with the applicant on revised plans addressing intersection geometry, Adams Drive widening, the long straightaway/block‑length waiver, stormwater design and coordination with TDOT and the highway department. The commission did not adopt any conditions beyond deferral, and no final approvals or waivers were granted at the June 24 meeting.