Commission approves revised 97‑lot Patterson Ridge subdivision after traffic, drainage concerns and conditioned traffic study

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 6 approved a substitute resolution that clears the way for a revised 97‑lot preliminary subdivision at 0 Billy Mayer Road — known as Patterson Ridge — after opponents and the developer negotiated additional conditions.

The board voted 10–1 to adopt the substitute and the commission then accepted an amendment requiring a traffic‑impact study to inform which street connections would be required; Commissioner Caswell cast the lone no vote. DPD staff and the applicant said the condition is intended to balance neighborhood concerns about traffic with planning principles that favor connected streets.

Navinita Niro, a Division of Planning and Development presenter, described the site as a 22.11‑acre vacant R8‑zoned parcel and said the preliminary plan meets applicable UDC regulations. Brett Ragsdale of DPD told the commission the division recommended adding a condition that would allow the county to review the developer’s traffic study and consult the county engineer before approving which of the proposed connections would be built.

Opponents, led by appellant Elizabeth Carroza, said traffic counts submitted by the developer (a 48‑hour count) were insufficient for Rensselaer Drive — a narrow, two‑lane residential road — and warned that up to 95 additional houses would overload local streets and worsen drainage. Carroza said the neighbors agreed to not allow feeder streets into Brownsville Woods and Eagle Ridge but remained concerned that traffic could be funneled onto Billy Mayer and Rensselaer.

"We are concerned about the traffic going on to Billy Mayer. It's a narrow road," appellant Elizabeth Carroza said during her presentation, adding that neighbors wanted more thorough traffic and stormwater studies.

Applicant counsel Josh Whitehead said a preliminary traffic study anticipates roughly 1,000 trips per day from the new subdivision and that the study’s author and the county engineer found local roads have capacity for the increase. "We have found based upon our study that that would produce about 1,000 trips a day," Whitehead said. He added that county engineering reviewed the materials and was willing to accept the proposed approach subject to the further traffic study.

Traffic engineer Harvey Matheny told commissioners that a more detailed study — including peak‑hour turning analyses and school‑peak counts — would likely show either alternative (funneling more traffic to Billy Mayer or opening other exits) could work, and that the county roads have capacity for additional trips based on current counts.

The substitute includes a set of conditions agreed between the applicant and several appellants; the commission voted to accept the amendment that requires at least two street connections, one of which must be to Billy Mayer Road, with final connections based on the traffic study and zoning administrator approval in consultation with county engineering. DPD staff said the condition could be modified again at final plat review.

Next steps: the developer must complete the traffic‑impact study and proceed through the final‑plat and memorandum‑of‑conformance process, which county staff said typically involves county‑engineer review and could take months before civil plans and construction begin.