Collierville approves Cedar Grove development; waives Winchester road, sidewalk and 16-inch water-main requirements

The Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen on March 24 approved a development agreement for Cedar Grove (Bailey Station PD Parcel 8A, Phase 15), a 25‑lot gated, age‑restricted single‑family subdivision, and granted waivers for required Winchester Boulevard street and sidewalk improvements and for installing a 16‑inch water main along the development frontage.

Staff presented the proposed development and staff recommendations before the vote. Steven Russell, senior civil engineer for the town, described Cedar Grove as a 25‑lot gated single‑family neighborhood on 7.93 acres that will be age‑restricted; the presented covenants noted percentages for occupancy and age in the packet. Russell told the board the development’s internal streets, drainage ponds and most utilities will be private and maintained by an HOA, and that public sewer manholes in the subdivision will be public and tie into an existing 10‑inch sewer main in Peyton Parkway.

Public utilities staff advised the board that a continuous 16‑inch water main along Winchester Boulevard would provide system redundancy, improved fire protection and additional hydrants but acknowledged the proposed subdivision can tie to an existing 10‑inch main in Peyton Parkway and that a pressure study showed adequate service for the 25 lots. Staff stated it did not recommend approval of a waiver for the 16‑inch water main requirement, while recommending approval of the development agreement and the sidewalk/road improvement waivers for Winchester Boulevard.

Developer David Halley urged the BMA to grant the waivers. Halley told the board he previously extended sewer, ornamental lighting, roadway sections and other off‑site improvements to serve Bailey Station and nearby development, and said those earlier investments factored into his request. Attorney Michael Rogers of Fisher & Arnold summarized the project history and said a 1994 letter from a local firm to then‑town staff memorialized earlier understandings about improvements; town staff said they could not find a town response acknowledging that letter in municipal files.

A nearby resident, Adam Boucher, president of the Ivy Grove HOA, spoke during public comment to request sidewalks on Winchester Boulevard and described pedestrian safety concerns where sidewalk gaps force people onto narrow grass shoulders.

Board members asked staff and the developer detailed questions about the water connection, looped system benefits, precedent for granting waivers, and the likely cost to install the 16‑inch main. Public utilities staff estimated the water‑main installation would cost roughly $250,000–$300,000 and said that if the town chose to build the line it would likely be done as a separate public project and require competitive procurement; it was noted such work was not in the current CIP/budget.

A motion to approve the residential development agreement for Cedar Grove and to waive the Winchester Boulevard street/sidewalk improvements and the 16‑inch water‑main requirement passed on a roll‑call vote. Board members voting “yes” were Marshall, Stamps, Robbins, Hall, Jordan and Mayor Frasier; no “no” votes were recorded. After the vote the mayor asked staff to address sidewalks in an upcoming capital improvements work session.

The board’s approval granted waivers contrary to staff’s recommendation on the 16‑inch water line. The town can still pursue that water‑main installation later as a separate public project if priorities or funding change; staff emphasized any town‑led installation would be a separate, competitively procured project and could affect the road surface if timed separately from other street work.