Robertson County Planning Meeting
November 21st, 2024
No one at the planning meeting has name tags in front of their seat. Keith Hoover has stepped down from the board, and Jeremiah Pierce was absent. There were four board members present, Cheryl Elliot and Eugene Federman were the only names that I caught. Minutes were approved, and public comments were moved to the agenda item.
All of these items are simply updating the maintenance list. The map was on a very large board, but it was turned so only the board members could see it and not the public. In item a, the change was to include any roads that changed from tar and chip to asphalt. All three items were approved.
The builder was the first to speak. Currently this property has zoning of R-40 to the south, and some R-30. They are looking for the rezone in order to build 38 homes. There will be two entrances into the property. One will be on Calista, one on Horseshoe. These homes will have private septic systems, not a collective. Hunter Mantooth stated that the board recommends approval. Most of the lots will be 30k square foot lots, a few will be over an acre. A board member asked about turn lanes, and the developer stated that they are not there yet in the planning. Public comment was opened after he spoke.
Citizen #1- He lives on Calista and can attest that Horseshoe is a dangerous road. Horseshoe is only 16 feet wide. Two work trucks cannot pass one another without one pulling into the grass. That road is not equipped for more traffic. The stop sign at Calista and Horseshoe gets knocked down 2-3 times a year. He has called the city, the county, and TN highway patrol about Horseshoe and the traffic, but no one has an answer. This new development will make it works. He does not recommend.
Citizen #2- He lives on Calista, 500 yards south of this proposal. He is also in opposition. He has similar complaints to the previous speaker, and has been here on multiple occasions in the last few months. He has concerns about stormwater, water, and electricity. Just two houses from him has issues with water run off from this property when it storms. There are grading and storm water issues. Traffic on Horseshoe is an issue when you have oncoming farm equipment. A rezone of R-30 could also open this property to multifamily. Just because the builder states 38 homes, a rezone will allow for more.
Property Owner- (much of what he had to say was very difficult to hear. he spoke very low and the microphone did not seem to be working) He stated that these would be nice homes and this is a good developer. There are many worse projects out there.
Kim Rowland-Realtor- She is in Cross Plains and is a realtor. She has shown many homes by this developer and she likes them. If the county denies this, they could then have a company like Lennar come in and sue the county for not rezoning.
Citizen #3- She lives 1/4 mile from Horseshoe. She is also opposed to the project. The community has already suffered from over development. She is concerned about infrastructure, such as water and electricity. These homes will be using the same services as the rest of White House, ie schools and busses. She cannot believe we are back at this board again looking at another subdivision. You already have to pull over on Horseshoe to let someone by. The over development needs to stop.
Citizen #4- Horseshoe is too narrow and dangerous for a development. Growth needs to be managed and the county seems to be getting ahead of itself. The county needs schools, ambulances, deputies, etc. He is glad it is 38 and not 300, but is still opposed without a plan.
Citizen #5- He is also opposed. The traffic is too much for the infrastructure. He doesn’t want to see Calista end up widened because he will lose part of his yard. He doesn’t want the road widened so a developer can profit. There are 1000 homes south of this that haven’t even been started yet. Most people in this new proposal will use Calista. Calista will bear the brunt of this. We will eventually need 3 phase power and that will also end up in citizens’ yards. He is opposed.
Citizen #6- Calista has changed and she has seen the farmland disappear. She reiterated that there is still 1000 homes yet to be built on Calista, and that this property is next to Honey Run Creek. That is a potential problem with that many septic systems. People are still going to shop in White House, and the schools cannot take any more.
John Edwards- Mayor Cedar Hill- He is from Cross Plains and told the board that the threats of lawsuits are unfounded. The board need not be afraid of that. He could see these as one acre lots maybe. There have been a few proposals on Calista that have already been denied. While this is better than a PUD, it is still not great.
Nikki Taylor- Yes, I spoke. I added that there are 2749 homes approved on the RobCo side of White House. Only 953 have been built or permitted. That is only 34% completed. I also added that this will open the door for other developments on Calista. As a taxpayer, I do not want to pay for the road improvements that will need to be done as is happening in White House. At the end I brought up how poorly a member of the community was treated at the last meeting I was at. I reminded the board that they are elected, appointed by people we elected, or paid by our tax dollars. We are supposed to be on the same side. We are not the enemy.
Questions were asked of the builder. The homes will be 2200-3000 sq ft. They will be listed at $400k-$800k. The board opted to send the project to the county commission without recommendation. One member opposed the project altogether. (could not hear his name) This project will go to the county commission next month.
Items C, D, and E were for parcels to be rezoned for family members to build homes on their properties. These were all approved. Item E was for a warehouse for a busy nursery. It was also approved. There was a report at the end. I did not stay for the presentation. It turns out I should have. It was regarding the comprehensive growth plan. I will bring more of that to you as the information comes in.
The White House BOMA meeting was the same night as this planning meeting. The video for that meeting will be up tomorrow. I will get that to you this week.
My take on the meeting will be coming later. This was just the facts.
Thanks for shining a flashlight in there. Maybe next time you should bring some paper and markers so they can show attendees who they are?