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Planning commission opposes removing right‑in/right‑out condition at Golden Bear Place; denies left‑turn access to Wawa
Summary
After staff and public‑works testimony that the proposed left‑in would not meet access spacing and deceleration standards, the commission on Aug. 16 issued a negative recommendation to the Board of Commissioners on the Golden Bear Place PUD amendment that sought a left‑turn into a proposed Wawa.
Mount Juliet public works staff told the Planning Commission on Aug. 16 that they did not support a developer request to remove a PUD condition that requires right‑in/right‑out driveway access on Golden Bear Place and instead allow a left‑in to a proposed Wawa.
"We do not support the variance as presented," public works staff said, citing access spacing and the inability to provide required deceleration and taper lengths at the signalized intersection. The developer’s representative, Mark McDonald, said his team believed stacking and taper would be adequate but acknowledged they fall short of a TDOT spacing standard (about 300 feet vs. 330 feet required).
Staff told the commission the left‑in would not meet the city’s access code and could not provide the required deceleration tapers; staff offered alternative conditions that would allow restricted access if medians and channelizing were installed. After hearing the technical finding and developer comments, the commission voted to forward a negative recommendation to the Board of Commissioners based on staff concerns about access and safety.
The Board will consider the amendment and the commission’s negative recommendation in a future meeting.
