Council members spent a lengthy portion of the Dec. 5 study session on land-use matters, reviewing multiple rezoning applications and broader planning standards.

Tom, planning staff, said the Remington Farms planned-unit development application (roughly 118 acres) was deferred by the planning commission to January 2025 so the applicant could complete traffic studies and respond to Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) requests about off‑site improvements. Planning staff also reviewed several smaller rezoning requests (including applications by DCC Strategic Realty Partners and individual landowners) that received mixed or split recommendations from the planning commission.

Why it matters: Council members expressed concern about vehicle traffic, impacts on existing single‑family neighborhoods, and infrastructure and asked staff to prioritize updates to subdivision regulations, design standards and the comprehensive plan. Planning staff said they have identified more than 20 weaknesses across subdivision rules, zoning ordinance and the comp plan and plan to propose technical changes and a capital project request for a housing needs study in next year’s budget.

Details and council reaction: Staff walked through the technical criteria for R‑3A zoning (arterial/collector street, existing utilities, adjacency to higher-intensity uses) and noted several of the applications do not clearly meet all criteria; several council members argued for raising citywide standards to protect neighborhood character and to make planning-commission decisions more consistent. One council member urged the city to consider impact fees and to prioritize neighborhood-scale impacts when reviewing rezoning.

Next steps: Staff said they will prepare ordinances and technical edits for upcoming planning commission meetings, pursue the housing needs study as a capital request in the next budget cycle, and work with council on a prioritized list of zoning/subdivision items and public engagement before any ordinance adoption.