Mount Juliet commissioners fail to approve Mirabella annexation and rezoning after hours of public opposition

Mount Juliet — The Board of Commissioners failed to approve a package of five Mirabella items on Sept. 22 after dozens of residents raised concerns about traffic safety, blasting near homes and a proposed sewer easement that would run through Stone Hollow.

Mayor James Maness read the five items for the record at the start of the meeting: a resolution adopting a plan of services for the Mirabella Subdivision; an ordinance to annex roughly 403.44 acres into the city; an ordinance/memorandum relating to the annexation; an amendment to the land-use plan for the Mirabella property on Lebanon Road; and a rezoning and preliminary master development plan for the Mirabella subdivision. After extended public comment and discussion, the commission put the five items to a voice vote; the chair said the vote failed for lack of a majority.

Why it matters: The Mirabella package would have brought a large, long-term residential project into the city’s corporate limits, with developers committing voluntary off-site road contributions that staff and commissioners said would be used to seek state attention for Lebanon Road widening. Opponents argued the immediate hazards — limited county-controlled road capacity, proximity to schools, and potential damage from blasting — outweighed the proposed benefits and that critical questions about the sewer route and environmental impacts remained unresolved.

At the public hearing, residents who live along Bass Lane, Beckwith Road and in the Stone Hollow neighborhood described recurring crashes and “constant blaring of horns” on Lebanon Road and said existing conditions make left turns dangerous. Sheree Baltz of Bass Lane told commissioners, “If you’re trying to make a left on Bass Lane like I do almost every day, I literally pray for my life that someone doesn’t come over that hill and hit me.”

Neighbors also raised engineering and property-damage concerns tied to blasting. Julie Silliman said a recent inspection found one side of her house had settled three-quarters of an inch after nearby blasts and estimated roughly $10,000 in repairs. Several residents said they had observed blasting tied to nearby developments and worried about groundwater and springs being affected.

Developer response and staff analysis: Kyle Allen, a Mirabella partner, said he heard residents’ concerns and pledged ongoing contact and responsiveness. Engineer Jeff Morrison told the commission the proposed sewer alignment would extend roughly 7,500 lineal feet (about 1.5 miles) and that a gravity sewer alignment requires trenches 7–8 feet deep (up to roughly 10 feet with bedding). Morrison and staff described alternatives to traditional blasting — including rock saws/trenching and expandable rock removal methods — and discussed logistics for staging and storing excavated material on nearby property.

Public-works staff and the floodplain manager said the Cedar Creek basin in the area has not been restudied since 2008 and that FEMA watershed studies are outstanding; staff therefore said flooding impacts are not yet fully known. The city also noted that TDEC permitting and approvals are part of the development-review process.

Commission discussion and outcome: Commissioners debated the trade-offs: several emphasized the voluntary off-site contributions developers proposed (around $7,500 per unit aggregated into roughly $3+ million in developer contributions, as discussed by commissioners) and said the project could help draw state and federal attention to Lebanon Road improvements. Opponents said those voluntary contributions do not guarantee timely road upgrades and that annexing a large parcel outward risks long-term service and fiscal obligations for the city.

A motion to defer the Mirabella items until the next meeting so the vice mayor could participate was moved and seconded but failed on a voice vote. The subsequent vote on the five items was decided by voice and, per the chair, failed to achieve a majority; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

What’s next: Because the board did not approve annexation and associated ordinances, the developer may pursue county approvals or alternative development paths. Commissioners and staff also discussed next steps including additional technical review of the sewer alignment, further coordination with TDEC and FEMA watershed work, and continuing outreach to residents. The transcript shows no additional board action on Mirabella during this meeting.

Quotes: “We can’t handle the amount of traffic we already have,” resident Sheree Baltz said. “I urge you to put infrastructure and safety first and vote no on this proposal until our roads are properly addressed.”

City context: Mayor Maness and several commissioners described fiscal and service implications of adding areas to the corporate limits, including longer emergency-service coverage distances and depreciation of major sewer infrastructure costs that the utility would carry over decades.

Next steps noted at meeting: staff indicated developers and public works would continue to evaluate sewer routing alternatives and construction methods, residents were advised to contact TDEC for spring/water-resource concerns, and commissioners asked staff to compile additional technical information ahead of any future action.