Resident urges limits on Sanford Road rezoning at La Vergne public hearing

Cheney Woods resident and neighborhood advocate Sarah Andre urged the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on April 7 to constrain the scale of a proposed rezoning for a 13.17-acre parcel on Sanford Road, saying neighbors do not want apartments or townhomes adjacent to their yards.

"We don't want apartments and townhomes," Sarah Andre told the board after identifying herself and giving her address. She said she and neighbors have followed the applicants and met with the developers, who described plans the resident said sounded consistent with surrounding single-family homes, but she worried a future owner could pursue higher-density apartments if the property remained rezoned to R3.

Ordinance 2026-06 would amend the City of La Vergne zoning map for tax map 28 parcels (including parcel 2 and 1.01) to PDR R3 (planned density residential with a high-density R3 base) from A (agricultural). The chair noted the planning commission recommended approval at its Feb. 24, 2026 meeting.

Andre described the parcel's proximity to LaVergne High and said many neighborhood children walk in the area; she also raised concerns about retention-pond placement and the potential change in neighborhood character. She told the board she was told by developers they would seek to build homes that fit the area and that they had engaged the neighborhood, but she asked for clarity about whether a change to R3 could later be implemented by a different developer without returning to the board. She said her understanding was that such a change would have to come back through the council.

The chair thanked Andre for her remarks and invited other speakers; no additional public comments were made on this item before the board moved to the next agenda item. The public hearing portion of the meeting then proceeded toward the board's 6:00 p.m. start time.