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McMinnville board rejects rezoning request for 209 Waynes Drive after residents voice traffic and drainage concerns
Summary
After a public hearing with multiple Red Road residents raising traffic, drainage and density concerns, the McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted down a request to rezone 209 Waynes Drive from R‑1 (low density) to R‑2 (medium density).
The McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted down a rezoning request for a 14–16 acre parcel at 209 Waynes Drive, rejecting a move from R‑1 (low density residential) to R‑2 (medium density residential).
At a public hearing that opened at about 6:45 p.m., several nearby residents urged the board to preserve the property’s R‑1 zoning. Jimmy Nolte, a Red Road resident who said he lives at 1656 Red Road, said he circulated petitions opposing denser development and asked the board to “leave it at R‑1.” He said the neighborhood already faces drainage problems and that the developer’s concept showed “56 houses on 14 acres, 2 retention ponds” and “100 plus automobiles, average 2 cars per house.”
Michael Bell, a Red Road resident who said the proposed roadway would run behind his house, raised erosion and drainage concerns, saying runoff already “flows back there” and has required repairs on recently built homes. Emmett Woodard and other residents said the area lacks sidewalks and that pedestrian safety and traffic on Red Road are existing problems.
A speaker who said he owns the property spoke in favor of allowing development, saying the city must accommodate growth inside city limits and that the parcel is suitable for more housing. The developer’s representative and Community Development staff described the plan as a concept yield study, not a final plat, and said plats cannot be submitted until zoning is approved. Community Development staff noted that required reviews for utilities, stormwater, fire and roads would still occur at plat and permitting stages.
City staff provided traffic counts for Red Road from the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The most recent annual average daily traffic (AADT) number cited for 2024 at a point south of Pace Street was 1,453 vehicles; 2023 was 1,511 and 2022 was 1,300, indicating modest year‑to‑year changes.
Council member Carrie Youngblood moved to approve rezoning the property to R‑2; a second was made for discussion. Opponents pointed to several issues that could follow a zoning change: R‑2 allows more permitted uses than R‑1, and multifamily housing could be proposed later by special exception or other process. Staff explained that some multifamily uses are subject to the board of zoning appeals and that stormwater must meet the city’s post‑construction standards so runoff does not worsen.
On the roll call, Sally Brock, Deidra Dunlap, Steve Harvey, Rachel Kirby and Carrie Morton voted no. Carrie Youngblood and Mayor Mary Chastain voted yes. The motion failed.
The board took no additional action on the property that evening; staff said any future plat or permit applications would proceed through normal review if the property owner or a developer files them.
Residents’ comments were confined to the public hearing for the rezoning item; staff and the developer answered technical questions later in the meeting.
