Olive Branch Planning Commission approves Carson Creek preliminary plat, clears industrial lot combo and tables two zoning items to April 14

Olive Branch — The Olive Branch Planning Commission approved a revised preliminary plat for the Carson Creek subdivision and a final plat combining two industrial lots, and it tabled two zoning requests until the commission's April 14 meeting.

The commission unanimously approved a revised preliminary plat that reduces a previously approved 78-lot layout to 25 single-family lots on about 38.62 acres in an R‑1 district. A planning staff member said the plan retains R‑1 zoning, proposes rural street cross-sections (a 50‑foot right of way and about 20 feet of asphalt), and that the smallest proposed lot will be one acre. The staff recommendation included nine conditions, among them requirements to form a homeowners association, extend utilities to serve each lot, and adopt CCR language that includes a 2,000‑square‑foot minimum home size and masonry design requirements.

"Staff does recommend approval of the preliminary plat subject to multiple conditions," the staff member told commissioners during the presentation. Greg Russell of Civil Source, representing the applicant, said high costs tied to sewer and water extensions and an expensive creek crossing made the denser 78‑lot plan infeasible, and that larger lots reduce required infrastructure and improve project feasibility.

The commission approved the Carson Creek preliminary plat by voice vote without recorded individual tallies. Following planning commission approval, the preliminary-plat recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Aldermen for consideration; construction plans and final platting must follow the city's administrative review before building permits can be issued.

Separately, the commission approved a final plat that combines Lots 12 and 13 in Craft Road Industrial Park into a single 1.382‑acre lot to accommodate an HVAC business and its parking. Planning staff said the applicant submitted clarifications about a gravity‑sewer relocation and incorporated the city engineer's comments into the recommendation. Mike Davis of the Reeves firm represented the applicant and said he had nothing further to add. The commission approved the lot combination subject to staff conditions.

The body also considered two zoning items that the applicants asked to defer: an amendment to the Trinity Park PUD (about 16.21 acres at 8961 Church Road) to add medical cannabis as a permitted use in Area 7, and a zoning‑map amendment to rezone roughly 42.5 acres to AR (agricultural residential) for a DeSoto County School District career‑tech center. Both requests were tabled to the April 14, 2026 meeting at the applicants' request.

The commission handled the routine approval of the Feb. 10, 2026 meeting minutes at the start of the session. The meeting adjourned after staff outlined next steps for items returning in April.