Planning commission defers Remington Forest planned unit development for 90 days over TDOT traffic requirements and possible school site

The Planning Commission on Jan. 23 voted to defer action on Remington Forest, a proposed planned unit development (PUD) on the former Sween Estate, for 90 days so the applicant can address traffic improvements requested by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and work with city staff on plan-book revisions.

The project, introduced as Remington Forest (formerly Sween Estate), covers about 158 acres and proposes single-family detached and townhome units, commercial land and associated access. The commission's decision follows a Jan. 16 meeting between TDOT, the city and the applicant in which TDOT identified required highway improvements, chiefly turn lanes at intersections along Union Highway and a contribution toward off-site intersection work at Colorado/Elm and Unionville Pike.

Why it matters: TDOT’s traffic conditions affect whether the subdivision’s single access and on-site circulation meet state and local safety standards, and the applicant said the city and TDOT comments require revisions to the plan book and traffic-impact commitments before the commission can act.

During discussion, a city staff presenter and an engineer summarized TDOT’s formal feedback, saying the agency expects the applicant to design and fund turn-lane improvements at several intersections, including the proposed site access, and to participate in mitigation at a nearby development-related intersection. Will (role identified in meeting as city/transport reviewer) told commissioners that TDOT’s January 16 feedback represented TDOT’s position on required roadway improvements and that those improvements are multi‑pronged and would be substantial for Union Highway.

Developer Steve Knox, representing the owners, said the team has reviewed TDOT’s comments since the Jan. 16 meeting and needs time to “sit down with the city, review every single category of this, figure out the details, what we're gonna do, how we're gonna do it” and then update the plan book to show the required changes. Knox said the applicant had hoped an offer of roughly 24 acres for a school site would be accepted but that the local school board deferred its own decision to March; he asked for more time in case the board votes to accept a portion of the townhome area as a school site.

Knox said the developer had originally considered a 15‑year deadline on a land gift to the school system but planned to extend that to 20 years to make the offer more acceptable for school financing and timing. He said: “If they tell us no at that point, we'll have everything else done and ready to go. But if they come back and say, yes, they wanna do something, then I'm gonna have to have time to put their information in the plan book and everything else.”

Commissioners debated whether a 60‑day deferral would be sufficient and settled on 90 days to allow time for city‑applicant meetings and for the school board to act on the potential site donation. A motion to defer the application for 90 days passed by roll call (see “Votes at a glance” entry for this item). Chair and commissioners recorded their votes during the roll call; Commissioner Taylor was noted as not present for roll call.

What happens next: The applicant and city staff will work through TDOT’s list of required traffic and access improvements and update the project plan book. The commission will take up the PUD again after the 90‑day deferral. The school board is expected to consider the proposed donation at its March meeting; if the board approves, the applicant said it would need additional time to incorporate school‑site details into the plan book before returning to the commission.

Sources and attribution: Direct quotes and on‑record positions in this story come from Planning Commission meeting remarks by developer Steve Knox and city staff presenters recorded on Jan. 23. Other details summarize the commission discussion and motions recorded in the meeting minutes.