Planning Meeting
February 13th, Meeting of the Planning Board
After the meeting was called to order, roll was taken. Martha Wikinson was absent, and Mayor John Corbitt joined the board. The pledge was said, and the agenda had to be adjusted. Item #2 was removed from the consent agenda and items #4-#6 were removed from the agenda.
Item # 1 Stones Crossing: Requests subdivision bond extension. This subdivision was started in 2003. There are still six lots left to be built in the subdivision. The standard 6% still applies to their bond, but the extension will be using the new 15% that was placed last year. According to planning director Ceagus Clark, there are still improvements needed to be finished in this subdivision. They have now had a binder on it for 15 years. The same developer is still responsible for the development. Public service is getting more aggressive with this developer. One year extension was approved.
Item # 3 White House Business Park/CESO: Requests Site Plan Approval for an approximately 243,000 sq. ft. distribution warehouse. Property is referenced as Robertson County Tax Map 106, Parcel 187.01. Property is zoned I-2, Heavy Industrial and is located southeast of 510 Hester Drive with public frontage on Sage Road. Owner: AL. Neyer c/o Kelly Hiett
This property is land locked on the west side and currently they are in the process of securing a 20 foot easement or right of way on the south side of the property. The discussion of this property began with the issue of the fence that needs to be built. Neyer would like to build their six foot fence out of vinyl. According to Clark they are also considering a temporary road until the easement has been secured from the Johnson property. The fence is a buffer wall for the Cardinal Pointe Apartments that are currently under construction. (this conversation was rather disjointed and will make more sense as the conversation continues)
Ms. Hyatt with Neyer was joined by an engineer from CESCO. Hyatt clarified that the east side of the property needs a buffer between their project and the apartments. A vinyl fence would be less costly and moved if necessary for the utility department to have access to the utilities. The vinyl fence meets the city codes. The easement currently is for utilities only and the fence will be partially in the easement. Clark stated that it is still up in the air about the fence reaching into the easement since that will have to go through storm water first.
Tim Murphy asked about the road situation. Hyatt stated that they will need Sage Road access. The road is being designed by the engineers with the Robertson County Economic Development Board. (RCEDB) Neyer will be offering money to assist with the first part of that road.
City Administrator Herman says that the city is working with RCEDB. They have an engineer, secured through a grant, that is designing the road from this property to Sage. They need Sage as an access for the other properties in the industrial area behind Advanex. The new road will be south of the electric lines and the right of way needs to be secured to make sure the road can be wider for trucks and the extra space for the extra utilities.
Mike Honeycutt came back to the fence question. What will the fence look like and will the city have control over the design. Clark said that the fence has to meet the design standards.
Addam McCormick asked about the traffic study on Sage. City engineer Jason Reynolds stated that the traffic study showed minimal impact from this project. Sage needs upgrades, but the design has to be not just with this board, but aligning with years of planning, currently looking at the Sage Cardinal intersection.
Herman reviewed the improvements that have been made. Sage from 76 to Crossroads was widened. Construction from Cardinal to Crossroads is needed, and the right of ways have finally been secured. At this point the city needs funds. The city is mindful of the fact that Sage is narrow. The current sewer project going on will also allow for some widening to take place.
Clif Hutson asked if the easement from the Johnson property needs to be secured before the Neyer project is built. Will the road be widened by then? Herman’s response was that so much is going on on Sage Road that widening will have to be done. They studied Sage in the 90’s and determined that it needed to be widened then. Reynolds added that without the easement, there is not enough room for the road necessary.
Hyatt added that RCEDB is responsible for the planning of the road. The current plan that Neyer has submitted reflects the road plan from RCEDB. Neyer will build the road that the board’s engineers design. The easement on the Johnson property is 20 ft and the Johnson’s have already verbally agreed to the right of way. McCormick asked if all of this was waiting on the Johnson right of way. Reynolds added that all of this is a timing issue. RCEDB is working on the road project in tandem with Neyer working on the building project. The timing needs to work out just right. Herman also added that the RCEDB is looking at the last 100 acres on Union and at a Union to Sage access as part of a long term plan. Peay asked if this property was a dead end until Sage is completed. The answer is yes. Mayor Corbitt sited the traffic study stating that 1200 total vehicles will be added with this project and the queuing at the traffic light on 76 and Sage is already an issue. McCormick then referenced the three scenarios on the traffic study. Reynolds stated that Hester is currently the only access to this property. They would like Sage if possible. After considering both directions and looking at the environmental concerns toward Hester, the only option in the traffic study is option B. That option is the 2025 build where the level of service is a D or better. 1200 vehicles is considerable, but not that bad and not a significant change. It will add some traffic, and the signal will need adjustment. McCormick brought up the queuing issue with the Love’s light and how trucks often take the entire light. Reynolds then continued with the city needs to make the best assumptions and move forward. The changes need to be addressed as businesses come in. The road design work needs to continue and the long term path on making both connections needs to be continued. This traffic study accounts for the apartments and new homes on Sage. Mayor Corbitt then added that even with “minimal impact,” the traffic is still a D. He added that if each project adds minimal impact, at some point that is serious impact. People are already sitting at the left light on Sage to 76 for longer than they would like. Herman then added that the citizens have made it clear that they do not want more high density houses and this is a better option. It brings in jobs, not 1000 homes, and it came from the TVA.
McCormick asked if Hester is out of the question. Herman responded with the fact that Advanex got a grant to update Hester. The stream over there makes that area complex. Aside from that, the city is unsure of how much more traffic Hester can handle.
The conversation returned to fencing. Clark reiterated that the regulation is for a 6ft fence. Neyer would like vinyl. Hyatt added that the code doesn’t mention masonry.
McCormick brought the board back to the questions on the table regarding this property. The questions are on the traffic, the right of way, and the fence. Neyer can build a temporary road without the easement. Cardinal Pointe has their own dedicated road. Reynolds again stated that without the right of way, there is not enough space to develop the full width of the road. They do have the design for the road with the temporary width. Murphy asked if the project will be complete before the road.
Hyatt stated that the timing is really the issue here. RCEDB is working with the Johnsons to get the right of way. Neyer would like to start this project before the widening on Sage from Crossroads to Cardinal Pointe is done. Once they get started, this is an 11 month construction plan. McCormick stopped the conversation and added that this discussion has been confusing. Hyatt brought up that this is one of the first steps in the city’s master plan. Neyer is hoping to get it started and is willing to pay for some of the changes. Peay reminded the board that this is already zoned industrial and McCormick stated that it meets the city’s standards. Hyatt said that an Amazon distribution center sees 5% of their traffic from semis, and this center will only see 2% from trucks. They do not have a tenant secured as of yet, but they do not foresee manufacturing as the rent will be too high. This is a class A type of building which keeps the tenant pool to more offices with warehouse space. However, they will not start this project without the easement. They need the right of way to begin since Neyer does not want to build the road twice.
The approval needed is for this project with the vinyl fence and the road improvements. The board approved the project with only Mayor Corbitt voting no and Clif Hutson abstaining.
All of these items were removed from the agenda before the meeting began. The meeting was adjourned.
Thanks for the recap Nikki, I could no make the meeting.
Thanks for the update. FYI, people are waiting at the Sage Road light because the light only lets 4 people out. Now that they’re planting more businesses on top of how ever many apartments are down there (my son lives in them), they need to extend that light. The honkers are in town, so I fear as that road gets more busy tempers will flare!