Smyrna planning board recommends denial of six‑unit townhome rezoning at Camp Highland

The Smyrna Planning & Zoning Board on May 11 recommended denial of a rezoning request for a six‑unit townhome project at 4691 Camp Highland Road after residents raised safety, stormwater and compatibility concerns.

Planner Joey Stobbs told the board the applicant seeks to rezone the 1.05‑acre vacant lot from General Commercial to a TD (townhome conditional) designation to allow six attached single‑family townhomes at about 5.7 units per acre. Stobbs said the proposal meets the future land‑use designation and that staff recommended approval subject to standard conditions and a side‑setback reduction from 25 feet to 17 feet.

Applicant Melissa Morello (recorded in the public record as the applicant) described “Highland Reserve” as six townhomes of roughly 2,800 square feet with four bedrooms, four baths, two‑car garages and rooftop terraces, and told the board the proposed price point is “approximately 680,000 per townhome.” She said the team would make material and design changes after hearing neighbors’ concerns and would complete a traffic study before the next hearing.

Woodland Brook HOA president Ziyad Salami and several nearby residents opposed the rezoning during the public comment period. Salami urged the developers to shift the project east to avoid encroaching on adjacent yards, described traffic and sightline problems at the Argo/Camp Highland intersection and asked the city to require close monitoring of construction after recounting previous site problems under an earlier owner. “We addressed a lot with them, and, unfortunately, none was taken into consideration,” Salami said.

Neighbors pressed two recurring themes: pedestrian and vehicle safety at the Argo/Camp Highland intersection, and stormwater/runoff risks from the proposed pond location near Woodland Brook amenities. Multiple residents said the site’s slope and close proximity to HOA tennis courts and recreation areas could increase flooding or siltation risks during heavy storms.

Civil engineer Asia Mose, representing the project team, explained the difference between a retention pond and the proposed dry detention pond, saying a detention design is intended to drain within 72 hours and reduces the likelihood of long‑term standing water and mosquito breeding. Mose noted topography and the existing sewer line constrain shifting the pond farther east without moving the drive aisle and entrance.

A number of speakers, including Dylan Morgan, also raised procedural concerns about inconsistent wording in the application materials and on the site sign; Morgan asked the board to defer action and re‑notice the case so the record is clear. Staff later confirmed the on‑site sign was updated April 22 — within the required 15–45 day posting window — and said a legal advertisement in the MDJ will appear before the mayor and council hearing on June 15.

City staff described the permitting and inspection safeguards that apply if the project proceeds: civil design and permitting of infrastructure before subdivision, as‑built certification of stormwater facilities before final plat approval, and recorded inspection‑and‑maintenance agreements obligating long‑term upkeep. Staff said those measures are intended to ensure the pond and stormwater controls are constructed and maintained according to the approved design.

After members weighed neighborhood impacts, traffic and drainage concerns and the record issues raised by residents, a board member moved to deny Z26‑004. The motion carried 5–0. The planning board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Smyrna mayor and council, which has a scheduled hearing on June 15 to take the final vote.

The board also told the applicants the presentation and amendments they described could be refined for the council hearing; the planning board noted that the formal denial is a recommendation and that council is the final decisionmaker.