Williamson County panel approves 167‑lot Patterson Road subdivision, grants floodplain variance after residents raise flooding, septic and traffic concerns

The Williamson County Regional Planning Commission on Thursday approved a concept plan and granted a variance to permit filling within the 100‑year floodplain for a proposed 143.32‑acre subdivision off Patterson Road, permitting up to 167 lots with a nontraditional wastewater treatment system, after an extended public hearing in which nearby residents raised concerns about flooding, septic systems and traffic.

The commission’s action, which was moved, seconded and carried by voice vote, includes conditions noted by staff: completion of required off‑site road improvements before submission of the first final plat containing residential lots; construction of a greenway segment before the final plat that contains it; demonstration of compensatory floodplain storage and a final grading plan showing no increase in off‑site flood elevations; and landscape buffers around wastewater facilities. The applicant must satisfy county engineering, floodplain and highway requirements before final plats are recorded.

Why it matters: The plan affects residents on Patterson Road, Atwood Lane and surrounding properties in the College Grove/Triune area, where speakers told the commission that flooding already affects homes and that a large development with more impermeable surfaces and a 19‑acre emergency wastewater pond could worsen drainage problems and pose public‑health and traffic risks.

Staff presentation and required public improvements Kayla Ferguson of Birch Transportation, the project traffic consultant, summarized traffic mitigation the county will require if the development proceeds. “We are requiring them to improve approximately 5,000 linear feet of Patterson Road,” Ferguson said, adding the upgrade…