Blount County panel approves 62‑unit townhome site plan after requiring Morgan Road buffer

The Blount County Planning Commission on Monday approved a site plan for a 62‑unit multifamily townhouse development at the intersection of Morgan Road and William Blunt Drive, voting to require the developer to shift additional landscape buffering to the Morgan Road frontage.

Planning staff presented the proposal as an allowed use in the applicable suburban zoning district and said the 10‑acre project meets density limitations (6.2 units per acre) and the county’s design standards (sections 9.4A, 9.1 and 7.6 of the zoning code). Thomas (staff member) told the commission that utilities have provided ‘will serve’ letters and that a traffic study and an entrance permit are under review by TDOT. He recommended approval subject to all applicable county and state permits and a pre‑construction meeting.

Derek Jones, project engineer with Sterling Engineering, said TDOT preliminarily approved the entrance location and is working through permit details. Jones said TDOT recommended using the shoulder and restriping to add a left‑turn lane at the development’s unsignalized access, even though the traffic study contractor (Canon and Canon) found the impact would be minor.

Several commissioners voiced traffic and parking concerns during discussion. One commissioner raised the possibility that left‑turning vehicles could back traffic toward a nearby signal and asked whether any offsite improvements beyond signage and striping would be necessary; staff and the engineer said the left‑turn lane/shoulder work and a stop sign at the access were the principal offsite items under TDOT consideration. Commissioners also questioned driveway depths and whether two cars could fit without obstructing the roadway; Jones said the driveways and two‑car garages meet the county’s minimum parking requirements and that driveway depth was approximately 21.8–22 feet.

Commissioners debated the location of the required landscape buffer. Staff noted the parcel is double‑frontage under county code, which treated the William Blunt Drive side as a front for setback purposes; several commissioners nevertheless expressed a preference to direct buffering to Morgan Road to protect adjacent single‑family properties. The commission voted to amend the approval to permit the developer to ‘flip’ the buffering from the rear to the Morgan Road frontage; the amended motion passed and the site plan was approved as amended.

The commission recorded the motion to approve the site plan (moved by Commissioner Wells, seconded by Commissioner Hodgej) and later approved the amendment to add buffering along Morgan Road before final passage. The approval is subject to remaining county and TDOT/TDEC permits, final permitting for stormwater and erosion control, and a pre‑construction meeting with the developer and utilities.

Next steps: the developer must secure final permits from applicable agencies (TDOT for the entrance, TDEC and county stormwater/erosion/grading permits as applicable) and provide any revised plans if design elements such as centralized dumpsters change before issuance of building permits.