Residents urge pause as council defers Greensboro Village master plan
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Summary
After a large public turnout, Gallatin council deferred the Greensboro Village mixed-residential master plan for two weeks. Neighbors raised concerns about density, building height increases, traffic, parking and loss of green space; mayor said no final decision will be made at the next meeting.
A packed public-comment period Tuesday night at the Gallatin City Council committee meeting focused on the Greensboro Village master plan, and the council voted to defer formal action for two weeks after the developer asked for more time.
Dozens of residents lined up to tell the council that the current master plan would bring substantially higher density and taller buildings than what the neighborhood expects. "They want to increase apartments from 135 to 340 and raise height limits from 35 feet to what was described as up to 86 feet," said Stephanie Hines, who led neighborhood outreach. Hines and other speakers also urged the council to require more parking and defend existing deed or ordinance limits rather than granting exemptions.
Mayor Brown told the audience the developer had requested the deferral and that the matter will return to a work session and then go through first and second readings; she emphasized no final vote will occur during the two-week window. "If you want to speak at the next meetings you will have more opportunities," she said.
Neighbors also raised environmental and infrastructure concerns. Ruth Fennell pointed to loss of wooded buffers and wildlife impacts, saying the city should insist on more open space and permeable surfaces to reduce runoff. Several residents from nearby Stone Creek and other subdivisions told the council they have experienced flooding and asked for impact studies before approval.
Councilmembers did not take a final vote on the Greensboro Village master plan at the meeting; because the item was deferred, the council did not approve any zoning changes. Mayor Brown asked residents to provide name and address for the public record and reiterated local-ordinance processes for future hearings.
The council—armarked the item for a work session in two weeks; a public hearing will be scheduled between the ordinance—irst and second readings, the mayor said.