Greenwood planning commission elects officers, approves Pleasant Run primary plat and multiple waivers; extends two apartment approvals to 2026

The Greenwood Advisory Planning Commission on Jan. 14, 2025, elected officers, granted two site-plan/plat extensions for apartment projects to Dec. 31, 2026, approved the Pleasant Run Business Park primary plat (PC 2024-066) after a public hearing, and granted four landscape-waiver requests for a long-standing recreation business. All recorded motions passed unanimously by voice or show-of-hands.

Why it matters: The actions clear procedural and technical steps that allow development to proceed in Greenwood — from extending active apartment approvals through 2026 to moving a new commercial subdivision through the primary-plat stage — while the waivers allow an existing business to expand without reconfiguring established site landscaping.

Elections and routine business The commission opened the meeting with its annual officer election. Planning Commissioner John Shell was nominated and approved as president; Planning Commissioner Josh King was elected vice president. The commission also approved minutes for Dec. 9, 2024, and ratified the Nov. 25, 2024 minutes.

Extensions for apartment site plan and final plat Commissioners approved a continuance for PC 2022-015, the MHE Apartments commercial site plan, extending approval and its two technical-review conditions to Dec. 31, 2026. The commission also approved C2022-082, the MHG Apartments final plat change, and likewise extended its staff-condition-based approvals to Dec. 31, 2026. Planning staff confirmed both items retain two technical review conditions that must be satisfied before final permits proceed.

Pleasant Run Business Park primary plat (PC 2024-066) The commission held a public hearing on PC 2024-066, a primary plat submitted by Projects Plus on behalf of 1173 Airport Parkway LLC to subdivide a property at the south end of Airport Parkway into two commercial lots and provide a right-of-way connection requested by the city. Joseph Peck, representing 1173 Airport Parkway LLC, described the proposal as a two-lot commercial subdivision with a road extension to connect to Airport Parkway at the city’s request; he said layouts shown were conceptual and subject to later site review.

Several nearby residents spoke in remonstrance, asking for more detail about future tenants, hours of operation and traffic. Anne Stout, who said she lives at 482 Autumn Lane and has owned her home for 30 years, asked, “What will be there?” and expressed concern about night truck traffic and activity. Andrea Hartley, of 489 Autumn Lane, said she currently keeps blinds closed because nearby commercial buildings face residents and reported noise and late-night disturbances at adjacent commercial properties.

Linda Gibson identified herself as Greenwood Common Council representative for District 1 and urged sensitivity to residential neighbors when commercial uses abut single-family yards.

Petitioner and project representatives said the proposed new buildings are not self-storage; Jeff Smith described the new buildings as 35,000 to 40,000 square feet, single-story structures about 22–23 feet tall and suitable for one or two tenants. The petitioner said a letter of intent exists with a tenant for part of the north building and that a food-distribution company is being negotiated for the remainder.

Commission and staff discussion focused on required transition landscaping where commercial zoning abuts residential. Planning staff and petitioner said a 40-foot buffer is required under city code where zoning changes to residential, and that buffer must include five canopy or evergreen trees (or ornamental trees) and 20 shrubs per 100 linear feet; existing large trees within the drainage area would remain where feasible.

After hearing concerns and answers, the commission approved the primary plat subject to the technical condition that all staff comments be addressed; the approval moves the plat forward while reserving site-specific details (fencing, final building materials, exact tenant uses, and traffic-management measures) for later site-review stages.

Landscape-waiver requests (PC 2024-061) The commission considered four waiver requests from Barcosa Surveying Inc. on behalf of a long-standing recreation business at 65 Sheke Road (identified in the record as an indoor/outdoor golf/batting-cage operator). The business seeks to add about 9,000 square feet to the south end of an existing building and asked to use existing site conditions in lieu of meeting some current landscaping-area and planting-size requirements. Planning staff recommended approval for all four waivers; commissioners agreed and approved each waiver.

Key waiver points included allowing existing trees and golf-course vegetation to satisfy perimeter landscaping requirements, permitting several interior parking islands that fall short of the ordinance’s 180-square-foot minimum while maintaining the total required landscaped area, and allowing two islands to be planted with standard 2.5-inch-caliper trees at time of planting instead of the code’s 4-inch-caliper requirement when site constraints make larger trees impractical.

Votes at a glance - Election of president (John Shell): approved; vote recorded as unanimous (9–0). - Election of vice president (Josh King): approved; unanimous (9–0). - PC 2022-015 MHE Apartments — site-plan extension to 12/31/2026: approved; unanimous (9–0). Location: Freeland Springs Drive / Northbridge area (northeast corner of Greenwood Springs Drive and Freeland Springs Drive). - C2022-082 MHG Apartments — final plat extension to 12/31/2026: approved; unanimous (9–0). - PC 2024-066 Pleasant Run Business Park — primary plat approval, subject to addressing staff comments: approved; unanimous (9–0). Applicant: Projects Plus on behalf of 1173 Airport Parkway LLC. Site: south of Caroline Road at the south end of Airport Parkway. - PC 2024-061 (four landscape waivers for existing recreation/golf facility represented by Barcosa Surveying Inc./"Audi Golf" in the application record): all four waiver motions approved; unanimous (9–0).

What’s next Approved continuances preserve the applicants’ approvals while they satisfy outstanding technical-review conditions. The Pleasant Run primary-plat approval advances the subdivision to the next procedural stage; final site design, tenant selection and any traffic or security measures will be addressed in later site-review hearings. The waivers allow the recreation business to proceed with a planned building addition without reconstructing existing site landscaping; final permits will follow required technical reviews.

Meeting context The meeting ran about 46 minutes, included a contested public hearing with multiple remonstrators for PC 2024-066, and featured technical staff explanations of buffering and subdivision standards. Several items were described as ministerial (subdivision standards that must be met) while site-level details were deferred to later site-review processes.