Advisory Plan Commission approves Atkins Johnson primary plat with buffer and disclosure conditions to protect neighboring equine facility

The Greenwood Advisory Plan Commission on Jan. 12 approved the Atkins Johnson primary plat for approximately 32.96 acres at the northwest corner of Smoky Road and Honeywell Road, voting 8–0 to carry the plat forward subject to technical review committee (TRC) conditions and additional measures to protect adjacent property owners.

Curtis, representing Grand Communities LLC and Fisher Homes, told the commission the primary plat proposes about 49 lots (approximately 0.72 units per acre) with lot sizes of 10,000 square feet or greater, and that the filing followed a rezoning approved in December. The petitioner said the submitted primary plat has been in review since mid‑November and that agency comments from a Jan. 7 TRC review are being addressed.

Nearby property owners, represented in part by David and Diana Kearns, told the commission they have lived adjacent to the site for more than 20 years and asked for protections including a privacy fence or substantial vegetative buffer, preservation of a privately recorded drain (no modification without owner consent), clearer, legible plat drawings, and steps to reduce trespass and animal interactions. One resident warned that donkeys and other equine stock can be dangerous to dogs and asked how the plat will protect both animals and neighbors.

The petitioner responded that he could not commit to a full privacy fence that night but offered a substantial, staggered vegetative planting—described by the petitioner as a double row of evergreens spaced roughly every 50 feet and staggered—to serve as a screen along the western frontage and in common open space. He said certain drainage adjustments would be necessary to route site runoff, that right‑of‑way dedications shown on the plat establish boundary lines, and that recorded covenants, conditions and restrictions (CCRs) or HOA documents could carry maintenance obligations.

Planning staff provided a favorable recommendation conditioned on the TRC items. Commissioners discussed enforceability and permanence of mitigation measures: staff clarified the difference between conditions (items to be satisfied before final approval) and recorded commitments that run with the land and are enforceable over time. Commissioners also asked whether the county drainage board had been contacted for any required drain modifications; the petitioner said that specific coordination with the county drainage authority had not yet occurred for the proposed modification.

Miss Stambaugh moved to approve the primary plat submitted by Baker & Baker on behalf of Grand Communities LLC (PC2025‑084) subject to the five TRC conditions, resolution of staff and outside review comments, final outside review approval, corrected roundabout layout, identification of an adequate discharge point and a recorded easement for discharge to waters of the United States or applicable regulated water, and with additional requirements that a substantial landscape screening be provided along the entire shared western property line (combination fencing and/or vegetative screening adequate for agricultural and equine compatibility to be reviewed and approved by planning staff prior to the secondary plat), that the buffer and maintenance obligations be included in subdivision covenants or CCRs, and that future homebuyers receive an agricultural‑operations disclosure in closing documents. The motion was seconded and carried by roll call vote 8–0.

The approval moves the project toward secondary platting and final engineering review; staff must confirm resolution of TRC comments, finalize outside reviews, verify the recorded easement and recorded commitments, and approve final landscape/screening designs before the secondary plat is accepted.