Commission approves preliminary SP allowing 102 units on Old Hickory Boulevard site

The Planning Commission approved a preliminary specific plan for a 25.44‑acre site along Old Hickory Boulevard that will allow up to 102 residential units in a mix of single‑family lots, detached cottages and townhomes. Staff recommended approval with conditions.

Madeline Welch, planning staff presenter, told commissioners the site is primarily wooded and located in the T3 suburban neighborhood‑evolving policy area with conservation slope constraints. The plan proposes a mix of housing types, an internal collector road with future stubs for connectivity, sidewalks on the Old Hickory frontage and 4.52 acres of preserved open space along the northeast corner and southern property lines. The plan limits building heights to two stories (single‑family) and three stories (multifamily) and forbids short‑term rentals.

The applicant, a local development team, told the commission they had met with neighbors and reduced the intensity of townhomes at the south boundary and added buffer and landscaping commitments; they agreed to invasive species removal adjacent to development areas but proposed to leave steeper, undisturbed slopes intact. Planning staff found the plan provides a transition in intensity and provides pedestrian connectivity and other design features that meet policy guidance.

A neighborhood spokesperson asked the commission to require larger easements for future collector-street intersections and enhanced garage depth for secure vehicle storage; the applicant agreed to limited garage-depth commitments and to coordinate invasive-species removal adjacent to the development.

After discussion the commission approved the preliminary specific plan with the staff‑recommended conditions. Commissioners highlighted the mix of housing types, the site’s preserved open space and required stormwater and tree‑protection measures in their rationale for approval.