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Planning Commission amends zoning rules for group shelters and adds PRD buffer requirement
Summary
The commission approved changes to the zoning ordinance that define and regulate "special institutional care facilities," and separately added a 20-foot landscape buffer requirement for PRDs that abut certain residential districts.
At its Jan. 9, 2025 meeting, the Smyrna Municipal Planning Commission approved amendments to multiple sections of the town's zoning ordinance to address a previously unclassified category of uses and to codify a landscape buffer requirement for PRDs.
The commission approved changes to Article 2 (sections 2.020 and 2.03511), Article 4 (section 4.010.2.g), Article 5 (section 5.053.3) and Article 7 (section 7.061.14). The amendments add a definition for a "group shelter," create parking requirements for the category described as "special institutional care facilities," permit the use to be considered as a special exception in the I-3 (heavy industrial) district, and impose separation/site requirements and review procedures. The parking standard cited in the packet and read at the meeting is one parking space per 12 beds plus one space for an employee or volunteer on the largest shift and one space for any business vehicles. The transcript also references that such proposals would be evaluated under a "BGA review" procedure.
In a related action, the commission approved a separate amendment to Article 4 Section 4.073 that requires a 20-foot landscaped buffer within a PRD where the PRD abuts R-1 zoning inside town limits or REM zoning in Rutherford County. Staff said the change codifies a requirement already being applied in recent plats and provides predictability for developers and adjoining property owners.
Why it matters: The special-institutional-care amendments fill a gap in the zoning code and set location, parking and separation standards that will guide future siting and review of group shelters and related facilities. The PRD buffer amendment standardizes buffering expectations for residential-adjacent developments.
Commission discussion noted that the language was designed to limit potential locations for the use and to provide review standards; one commissioner characterized the draft as "very well thought through." The transcript recorded no public comments during this agenda item. The commission moved, seconded and approved both ordinance amendments by voice vote.
What’s next: The ordinance changes take effect per the town's normal ordinance-adoption timetable; staff will apply the new standards in subsequent permit and special-exception reviews.
