Mount Juliet planning commission approves warehouse, several rezonings and code change; McFarland annexation deferred

MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. — The Mount Juliet Municipal and Regional Planning Commission on Sept. 18 approved a site plan for an 80,500-square-foot warehouse on Monday Memorial Drive, recommended several rezonings to the Board of Commissioners and forwarded a zoning ordinance amendment on building height to the Board, while deferring the Courtyards at McFarland annexation after a split vote.

The action came during a regularly scheduled meeting that included a consent agenda of plats and minor items, presentations on multiple development proposals and a staff briefing on a proposed change to the city—s zoning rules that would remove local numerical height limits and defer to the International Building Code and related national codes. Planning staff read and the commission approved the consent agenda items, and commissioners separately approved the larger projects listed below.

The warehouse plan for 230 Monday Memorial Drive was presented as an industrial warehouse with 6,000 square feet of office space on a roughly 5.5-acre lot. Planning staff told the commission they supported alternative facade materials and no berm because of the surrounding industrial context, and that a safety analysis submitted this week raised no barriers to approval. Staff also said the Belinda Parkway truck route will direct trucks to Providence and away from residential streets; staff said enforcement of the route is a ticketable matter if drivers deviate.

The commission recommended positive action to the Board of Commissioners on two commercial rezones tied to the Hamilton Reserve property at 12465 Lebanon Road: a land-use amendment to classify both resulting lots as thoroughfare commercial (12.29 acres total) and a rezoning request to CRC and CG on separate lots to allow commercial development on the parcel. Planning staff said the request aligns with adjacent thoroughfare commercial uses along Lebanon Road and recommended a positive recommendation to the county commissioners.

The commission also forwarded a rezone of 41316 Clearview Drive from OPS (office professional services) to CTC (commercial town center) and a rezone for 6600 Central Pike from RS-40 (low-density residential) to CMU (commercial mixed use) with positive recommendations. Owners and applicants present said they expect future site plans for restaurants and commercial redevelopment; staff noted that any change of use would trigger code compliance at the time of redevelopment.

In a separate ordinance recommendation, the commission voted to forward a zoning-ordinance amendment that would remove local numeric height limits from Mount Juliet—s zoning tables and rely on the International Building Code, International Fire Code and International Residential Code. Chief Fulks, Mount Juliet—s fire chief, told commissioners the change reflects the department—s current capacities and modern building-code controls, and said the city—s on-shift firefighting resources and required building-safety systems (sprinklers, high-rise breathing-air systems, stairwell connections) make national code compliance the controlling standard.

Not every major item passed. The commission deferred the annexation and master plan for Courtyards at McFarland, a proposed age-restricted community, after competing motions produced no majority. Planning staff and some commissioners said postponing the matter until a later meeting (when more commissioners can vote) was the appropriate procedural step.

Votes at a glance (formal actions taken at the Sept. 18 meeting): - Consent agenda (release of Letter of Credit 1628; final plats for Waterford Park Phase 4 and Hamilton Reserve; preliminary plat for Bass Creek; mass grading for Vichinch Vines; site-plan modification for Saint Stephen's columbarium; two annexation plan-of-service reviews): passed (consent). - Site plan: 230 Monday Memorial Drive (80,500-sq.-ft. warehouse with ~6,000 sq. ft. office): approved (motion to approve staff comments). - Land-use amendment and rezoning: Hamilton Reserve (12465 Lebanon Road) — recommended to Board of Commissioners for thoroughfare commercial classification and zoning to CRC/CG: positive recommendation. - Rezone: 41316 Clearview Drive from OPS to CTC: positive recommendation to Board of Commissioners. - Rezone: 6600 Central Pike from RS-40 to CMU: positive recommendation to Board of Commissioners. - Master site development plan / annexation / rezoning: Tates Landing (Watermark Way) — master site development plan approved by the commission; annexation and rezoning to RS-20 forwarded with positive recommendations (see separate article for details). - Annexation and plan of services: Courtyards at McFarland (5025 Old Lebanon Dirt Road): deferred after tied votes; applicant requested deferral. - Zoning ordinance amendment (building height): recommended to Board of Commissioners (to defer numeric height limits to national codes and fire-department review).

Planning staff emphasized that several approvals are recommendations to the Board of Commissioners and not final land-use decisions. Staff and applicants noted outstanding implementation details to be addressed at subsequent plan, plat or permitting stages.

"Staff does recommend approval with our conditions," planning staff member John said about the warehouse plan. "Safety analysis was required this week. We did receive that. Todd reviewed it. We had no issues, proceeding with this project on the agenda." (Planning staff identified in meeting transcript as John; no last name provided.)

"We now have 24 people per shift, and fully capable of attacking one of these fires if we were to have a fire in a high-rise occupancy," Chief Fulks said during discussion of the height amendment, arguing the change aligns local rules with prevailing building and fire codes.

Meeting context and next steps The commission held public hearings for multiple items and heard several applicants and neighborhood questions, particularly on access and construction impacts. Actions that were recommendations will move to the Board of Commissioners (dates to be set by the city). The Courtyards at McFarland items were deferred to a later meeting at the applicant—s request so the full commission can reconsider the master plan and related annexation.