Arlington officials and the developer on Dec. 2 spent more than an hour discussing the Donaldson Farms General Development Plan (GDP), a large commercial/industrial planned development that would cover roughly 350–360 acres and include retail, office and light industrial uses.

Planning staff described the GDP as a planned-development overlay intended to allow flexible site design and a mix of uses. The concept submitted includes several large industrial footprints (three buildings indicated at about 200,000 square feet and one at about 56,000 square feet). Staff said the applicant agreed to a 250,000-square-foot maximum building condition to preclude large distribution warehouses. The GDP also proposes that each lot provide 20% open space and a floor-area ratio of 0.5; staff noted no single, prescribed open-space requirement for the entire PD beyond 20% per lot.

Developer representatives Grayson Vaughn and Kevin Vaughn of Township Development Services spoke during the public hearing. Kevin Vaughn said the developer would be amenable to making a walking trail a required amenity through the large open area and indicated the phased nature of development will be driven by market demand and sewer financing. Vaughn described the project as long-term and said utility extensions, including any crossing of I-40, would require further board decisions and design work.

Board members repeatedly pressed two central questions: whether the large floodplain area labeled as “open space” could be used for agriculture (soybeans, etc.) or should be required to provide a public amenity such as a connected walking trail, and who bears responsibility and cost for sewer extension across I-40. Planning and developer witnesses said they were amenable to a condition making a trail part of the plan; staff and the developer also acknowledged phasing and that utility extensions would require design, budget decisions and potentially additional board approvals. A board member quoted a Daily Memphian story saying the town would be responsible for extending sewer across I-40; staff and the developer disputed that characterization and said the matter is subject to future board decision.

A motion to approve the GDP was made (mover: Mr. Brooks; second: Mr. Barker), and the board opened the public hearing (Resolution 2024-46) as required by statute; no members of the public testified during the hearing in the provided transcript. The transcript ends with continued board discussion of conditions, trail connectivity and the need for traffic, stormwater and sewer studies; no final vote on the GDP is recorded in the material provided to this report.

Next steps recorded in the discussion: require a traffic-impact study, require stormwater detention and sewer plans as part of the master development plan, and return to the board for decisions on sewer design and funding (staff indicated it will bring those items back in the next one to two months).