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Council approves Lafayette Crossing PUD with traffic and buffering conditions
Summary
Oak Ridge City Council approved a planned-unit-development rezoning for Lafayette Crossing at South Illinois Avenue and Lafayette Drive after adding conditions from the Traffic Safety Advisory Board and planning commission related to access and buffers; nearby residents raised concerns about Paris Lane access and neighborhood impacts.
Oak Ridge City Council approved a planned-unit development (PUD) rezoning for the Lafayette Crossing project at the corner of South Illinois Avenue and Lafayette Drive after adopting a substitute ordinance that incorporated traffic-board recommendations and planning-commission conditions.
The council approved the PUD rezoning — which applies to Anderson County parcels 048–056 (about 3.79 acres) and allows multiple commercial buildings including a corner car wash and a 3-tenant building — by a 4–2 vote. The planning commission had recommended conditional approval 7–1; the Traffic Safety Advisory Board reviewed access onto the major roads and recommended a full-access point at Illinois, right-in/right-out on Lafayette Drive, and that the midblock opening on South Illinois be converted to right-in only.
Planning staff said the substitute ordinance before council incorporated TSAB’s recommendations and the planning commission’s conditions; staff also required denser evergreen buffers along Paris Lane and Type D buffers where properties adjoin residences. Jennifer Williams, planning staff, told council those buffer and access conditions were intended to reduce the project’s impact on nearby homes.
Developer Rick Chen, who spoke during the public hearing, said the team has agreements with prospective tenants, will not seek tax-increment financing or other public subsidies for the project, and had worked with state highway officials on the Illinois Avenue access. “We are also fine with all the recommendations that Planning Commission requested,” Chen said.
Several nearby residents spoke at public hearing sessions and in council comments to urge tighter controls on neighborhood access and stronger vegetative screening. One resident from Paris Lane said the street is narrow and urged the council to avoid routing large volumes of traffic through the cul-de-sac area.
Council adopted the substitute ordinance on second and final reading and directed staff to pursue final engineering and site-plan review consistent with the approved PUD conditions. Staff said detailed site-plan review — including whether additional traffic studies are required — will occur during subsequent approvals.
With the substitute ordinance approved, the project moves to final design and permitting steps subject to the conditions the council adopted.
