Mount Juliet commissioners approve land-use change and annexation for Marabella; residents warn of traffic, emergency access

Mount Juliet commissioners on April 28 approved a land-use amendment for the Marabella subdivision and moved to annex and rezone the property after a public hearing in which nearby residents pressed officials about traffic, school capacity and emergency access.

The proposals affect roughly 403.44 acres along Beckwith Road, Lebanon Road and Bass Lane and include a change from low-density residential to neighborhood commercial for a portion of the site as well as related rezoning and a preliminary master development plan. Mayor James Maness presided over the meeting.

The project team — represented at the hearing by Kevin Sturgill of M2 Group (1881 General George Patton, Franklin) and civil engineer Matt Bridal — told the commission the plan includes phased construction with private roads, sidewalks, and a landscaped walking network. Developers also agreed to a voluntary $7,500 contribution per unit that the board arranged to direct toward Lebanon Road improvements; staff recorded the math as a roughly $3,255,000 total contribution and the commission adopted language requiring that contribution be collected at the time erosion‑control permits are issued.

Why it matters: Residents living along Lebanon Road and in nearby Poplar Point told the commission the corridor already experiences heavy congestion, limited shoulders and long delays that impede daily travel and emergency response. Several speakers urged a slower, infrastructure‑first approach before permitting more housing.

Residents voiced specific safety concerns. Cindy Sharp of 902 Lexi Court opposed the land-use amendment, citing fire and emergency-response times, sewer availability and narrow shoulders on Lebanon Road. “Whose life are you willing to sacrifice for another subdivision?” Sharp asked the commissioners. Krista Dancy Cabille, who identified herself as a Poplar Point resident, described West Elementary as “bursting at the seams” and said portable classrooms and truncated recess had affected students. Randy Norris said he had been stopped in traffic extending past West Elementary and described prior serious crashes on the corridor.

Commissioner Andrew Heffner pressed developers and staff for drainage, sewer and traffic details. Bridal Shackleford of CSDG, the project’s civil consultant (2305 Cline Avenue), said surface runoff from the project flows northwest — away from the Clearview neighborhood that has chronic flooding — and that project detention will be designed to match predevelopment flows for 2‑ through 100‑year storm events. Public works and the developer also said a pump station and other off‑site sewer easements will be required for later phases that serve higher ground near Lebanon Road; staff recorded a requirement that proof of those off‑site sewer easements be provided before second reading of the PUD.

Public safety and timing drew repeated attention. Fire and police officials said current response times would be longer from existing stations; Fire Chief (commenting during the meeting) said the city expects to site Station 4 within roughly three to five years and that improvement in ISO classification would follow as new stations come online. Commissioners discussed a possible interim requirement for sprinklers in early phases and asked staff to return with language before second reading.

The board approved the land-use amendment (item 13H) and, after amendments, voted to proceed with annexation (13I) and the rezoning and preliminary master development plan (13J). The commission added an explicit amendment making the land-use amendment and annexation void if the associated PUD/preliminary master development plan fails to gain final approval. The board also adopted the developer’s voluntary per‑unit contribution language and set collection at erosion‑control permit issuance, per public-works staff direction.

During discussion, commissioners and staff agreed to provide additional budget and utility analysis at second reading, including the projected depreciation and maintenance cost impacts to the city utility system phased by buildout so commissioners can evaluate long‑term enterprise fund effects.

The board’s actions as recorded in the meeting: the land-use amendment passed; the annexation and rezoning/PUD were approved on first reading (the items return for second reading at the first meeting in June). The commission asked staff and the developer to provide the sewer easement documentation and to explore sprinkler-trigger language before second reading.

Looking ahead: Commissioners instructed staff to supply a phase‑by‑phase cost and depreciation estimate for sewer and other infrastructure before the next hearing; they also asked legal and public‑works staff to draft the sprinkler trigger language and to coordinate with county and state agencies about timing for signalization and Lebanon Road widening.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the public hearing and commission discussion recorded in the meeting transcript.