Resident says Gwynne Farms runoff polluted ponds, asks commission to defer final plat

Patrick Beauchene, a resident who said he lives outside the city limits, told the Smyrna Municipal Planning Commission on June 5 that sediment-laden runoff from the Gwynne Farms development has repeatedly entered his property and downstream waters and that prior complaints to the developer and to town staff produced little remediation.

Beauchene said the problem began after earth-moving work opened areas of the site and that "there's been a blatant disregard for controlling erosion" during roughly 10 rain events since December 2024. He said he and others contacted Lennar Homes, SEC Engineering and Town staff with photos and video, filed a complaint with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and that multiple notices of violation followed. He said the town issued a stop-work order after TDEC involvement and that he has called the Smyrna Police Department 13 times about the site.

The request Beauchene delivered to the commission asked that the commission defer consideration of Gwynne Farms’ final plat for at least 60 days to give the town time to put a plan in place to monitor and control the developer. Beauchene said he believes the developer is violating ordinances and state environmental rules and that adjacent property owners and downstream creeks, including a pond on 6501 Lee Road and waterways feeding Olive Branch, have been affected.

The comment occurred during the meeting’s citizen-comment period; commissioners did not take a formal vote or issue a directive on the Gwynne Farms final plat during the public-comment time. Town staff and several named town officials — Tom Rose, Dave Santucci and Jeff Peach — were referenced by Beauchene as people he had contacted; those staff members did not speak on the record during the public comment.

Why it matters: Beauchene framed the issue as both an environmental and enforcement problem — alleging repeated erosion and off-site pollution and asserting that the town has not acted promptly enough to compel corrective measures. He asked for a 60-day deferral so the town can develop monitoring and enforcement steps before acting on the developer’s plat.

What the record shows: Beauchene said TDEC has multiple complaints and notices of violation; he said the town issued a stop-work order following TDEC’s involvement. The transcript does not show town staff making a response to the specific requests in the public-comment period or a formal commission action on the Gwynne Farms final plat at that time.

Next steps noted in the meeting: The Gwynne Farms item later on the agenda was shown as a deferral request; the commission deferred that final plat to the next meeting at the developer’s request. The public comment did not result in an immediate commission vote to adopt additional conditions or to extend the deferment beyond the developer’s requested resubmission timeline.