Board approves special-use permit for 312-unit mixed-use development at New Brunswick and Hwy 64

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to approve Resolution 30-25 on Aug. 26, 2025, granting a special-use permit for a residential mixed-use development at the northeast corner of New Brunswick Road and Highway 64 in the CH Highway business zoning district.

Sam Harris of the planning department explained the parcel’s history: the 25.73-acre site was vacant and previously considered for a Hy-Vee grocery store in 2023. The current applicant, the Stoa Group, presented plans for "The Waters at Bartlett" — approximately 312 multifamily units, roughly 25,000 square feet of flexible retail, 6.6 acres of commercial uses, and about 6 acres of green space. Developers said the residential mix will be predominantly one- and two-bedroom units, with about 10–12% three-bedroom units.

Developer Blake Brinson and project engineer Michael Rogers described the site layout and infrastructure approach. The plan positions commercial frontage along Highway 64 with residential units set back and buffered by landscaping. Brinson described amenity features typical of the firm’s projects: resort-style pool, an ~8,000-square-foot clubhouse with co-working areas and a fitness center, grilling and outdoor spaces, and in-unit washers and dryers. Younger & Associates presented an economic-impact summary projecting annual operations-related economic activity and estimated city revenue increases when fully built.

Key infrastructure work the developer said it will fund includes rerouting approximately 1,500 feet of New Brunswick Road into a boulevard alignment, crossing a creek on-site, installing sewer holding tanks to enable on-site sewer capacity, and signalizing a realigned intersection at Wolf Lake Drive. The developer estimated these on-site and frontage improvements could total roughly $4 million and said it would not seek public incentives for those costs.

Traffic and safety issues were discussed. Engineer Michael Rogers noted that prior traffic analysis for a proposed Hy-Vee (which would have generated roughly 10,000 daily trips) is not directly comparable; he estimated this apartment project would generate about 2,000 daily trips and said the land-use change could solve an existing safety concern by eliminating a problematic Old/New Brunswick connection. Staff and the development team said they anticipate detailed traffic study work and permitting with TDOT, Shelby County and the city during site-plan review.

In deliberations the board asked about market demand, retailer interest and phased buildout; the developer said they had retail-market engagement and intend to deliver tenant‑ready commercial frontage. The board voted to approve the special-use permit; the clerk recorded the motion’s passage as 4–2.

Developers and their consultants said the overall private investment for the project is roughly $61 million, with an estimated initial annual property-tax yield to the city once fully built of roughly $250,000 (developers’ estimate). The development team said it will construct public infrastructure needed for the project and estimated it will create new retail and residential tax base for Bartlett.