Planning commission approves preliminary plan for four-story mixed-use building at 215 South Center Street

The Collierville Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a preliminary site plan for a four-story, mixed-use building at 215 South Center Street, the site of the Joseph A. Campbell House, voting to approve the project with 11 conditions of approval.

Staff told the commission the property owner is McLemore and Company Realty and the applicant is McCarty Granbury Engineering; staff recommended approval after noting the site's listing on the National Register of Historic Places and a prior Historic District Commission (HDC) finding that affirmed the property's significance. "The purpose of this agenda item is for preliminary site plan for a new mixed use building located at 215 South Center Street," staff said in its presentation, describing the building footprint (about 6,700 square feet), total proposed floor area (just under 26,000 square feet), and 12 dwellings above retail and office spaces.

The applicant, John McCarthy, said the design is intended to match the commercial buildings around the town square and described the top level as an outdoor amenity rather than a full fourth story. "We are happy to bring this project to y'all tonight. We think it's a great project," McCarthy said, adding that the team sought to provide as much parking as practical despite the central-business zoning that does not require off-street parking.

Commission discussion focused on parking, trip generation and stormwater. Staff noted the proposed parking program totals roughly 44 spaces (16 ungated spaces at the west side of the site, 23 gated spaces to the north, and five angled on-street spaces on South Center Street) and offered traffic estimates used in the analysis: about 242 average daily trips for the proposed development versus about 318 when the prior restaurant operated, with AM and PM peak-hour estimates of 33 and 29 vehicles respectively. Timely drainage upgrades on the downtown lateral (Phase 5) and an on-site stormwater system designed to convey a 100-year event were also presented by staff as the basis for finding that on-site detention is not required.

Public and commissioner questions addressed HDC review of exterior materials, the dumpster/garage façade, ADA access along steep site grades, and coordination with the town's capital projects. Staff said final exterior elevations will return to HDC for review and that the applicant agrees to the conditions of approval.

A motion to approve the preliminary site plan with the listed 11 conditions passed on a roll-call vote of attending commissioners.

What happens next: the applicant must submit final site plans and exterior elevations to the HDC and the Town for final review and any additional permitting; staff noted a VMA meeting and further submittals before final approval.