Ordinance 2014-21, if approved, provides for the rezoning of 263.98 acres of land, located at 9305 Crockett Road, which includes the historic Holtland/Wildwood home. The requested change is from the R-2 (Suburban Residential) zoning district to the OSRD-IP (Open Space Residential Development-Innovative Project) zoning district.
Plan Summary
Pearl Street Partners LLC has submitted a plan for the largely vacant tract known as as the Holt/Witherspoon property. The proposed plan shows a total of 247 OSRD-IP compliant lots. The lot areas includes a mix of lot sizes and categories as shown in the table below.
| |
# OF LOTS |
MIN. AREA (SF) |
| VILLAGE LOTS (50'-65' WIDE) |
95 |
6,000 |
| MANOR LOTS (80' WIDE) |
90 |
11,200 |
| MANOR LOTS (95' WIDE) |
24 |
13,300 |
| EXECUTIVE LOTS (125' WIDE) |
37 |
25,000 |
| EXISTING LOT (HOME & OPEN SPACE) |
1 |
9.75 ac. |
| TOTAL |
247 |
|
The largest lot, outside of lot one, includes an area of 34,859 square feet, or 0.80 acres, while the smallest lot includes an area of 6,000 square feet or 0.14 acres. The average lot size is 15,018 square feet or 0.34 acres. Attached is an exhibit showing the densities of the surrounding subdivisions. The acreage density of the six surrounding subdivisions is 0.85 dwelling units per acre. The proposed density for the Holt Crest project is 0.94 dwelling units per acre.
Townhome lots are not included as part of the proposed development plan, but the plan does include alley-loaded, detached single-family lots, ranging from 50 to 65 feet in width. Elevations of the proposed housing units for the project are attached below. The developer indicates that design of approximately 50% of the "village" lots will include the master bedroom on the first floor. However, the units are not age restricted for residents 55 years of age and older.
The primary (only) access into the project is along Concord Road and aligns centerline to centerline with Arrowhead Drive. An emergency access is proposed along the westerly property boundary that will connect to Ansley Lane near its intersection with Aberdeen Drive. No other full access is proposed for the subdivision. Staff has significant concerns about providing only one full ingress/egress access for any size subdivision on this tract and believes the lack of connectivity to other existing public streets that currently border the development would only serve to add to the problems of traffic flow on major roads within Brentwood. This fact has been communicated to the developer.
The developer will not ask for consideration by the Planning Commission to relax any development standards as allowed by the Municipal Code. The plan provides increased buffer widths above the minimum required by the OSRD-IP technical standards.
The proposed plan reserves 65% or 167 acres of the tract as permanent open space as required by the Code. Within that open space, an amenity area is planned having a pool, a clubhouse and a parking area as improvements. The historic Holt Home will also be preserved. The developer has committed to spending $1,000,000 to restore the home. Once the developer completes his work the home will be sold to an individual for use as a private residence. The home will not be converted to a clubhouse.
A ten foot wide asphalt bikeway is shown in open space in the northern portion of the project. The bikeway is intended to connect at the common property boundary between the Raintree Forest subdivision and the Holt property in the area of the amenity improvements in Raintree Forest and will wind through though the open space in the Holt Crest development to the western property boundary, which is shared with the Somerset Subdivision, adjacent to Crockett Road. Given the significant number of elementary and middle school age children expected to reside within the Holt Crest development, if approved, staff believes it would be an appropriate traffic mitigation improvement for the developer to contribute funds for the construction of a public, multi-use trail adjacent to Crockett Road across the front of the Somerset subdivision to allow for safe pedestrian access to a signalized intersection and pedestrian crossing to the nearby schools. The estimated cost of this improvement is approximately $25,000 and would possibly require acquisition of an easement by the City across a portion of the Somerset open space fronting Crockett Road. If this trail improvement is constructed, staff would also recommend that the City eventually negotiate with the Raintree Forest HOA to undertake a project to connect the existing public trail along Raintree Parkway to the Holt Crest development across Raintree Forest open space to provide a complete public, off-road trail connection from Raintree Parkway to the nearby schools and Crockett Park.
R-2 Plan
Development of the property in question under the existing R-2 zoning would result in an estimated 125 lots, including several larger lots impacted by the Hillside Protection overlay district. The OSRD-IP plan has been designed to preserve the large area of the hillside protection (HP) overlay that encumbers the western and southern portions of the property. The R-2 concept plan is attached.
OSRD-IP requires that a calculation be submitted showing the number of OSRD compliant lots that can be constructed on a property, per Section 78-198(1)d. These calculations are required to determine the number of future housing units that must have a maximum of 2,500 square feet of conditioned space. The standard OSRD calculations will allow a total of 215 lots. This means that a total of 32 lots will have a maximum of 2,500 square feet of heated living space. The affected lots will be designated on the preliminary plan for the project.
Traffic Impact Study
A Traffic Impact Study (TIS) was included as part of the submittal. The TIS recommends that the following improvements and considerations should be incorporated into the plan.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS -- Original TIS
The results of the traffic study indicate that the proposed project will have a relatively minor impact on the intersections and roadways within the study area. However, in order to provide safe and efficient traffic operations at the project access, directly opposite Arrowhead Drive, the following improvements should be provided at this intersection:
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The new roadway should be constructed to include one southbound entering lane and two northbound exiting lanes, striped as a separate left turn lane and a shared through/right turn lane. The northbound left turn lane should be designed and constructed to include at least 200 feet of storage, and the northbound right turn land should be designed and constructed to include at least 100 feet of storage.
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An east bound right turn lane should be constructed on Crockett Road at the new roadway. This turn lane should include at least 125 feet of storage and should be designed and constructed according to AASHTO standards.
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A westbound left turn lane should be constructed on Crockett Road at the new roadway. This turn lane should include at least 75 feet of storage and should be designed and constructed according to AASHTO standards.
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Although the traffic volumes on Crockett Road have remained relatively stable since 2007, adequate right-of-way should be reserved along the northern frontage of the projects site in order to accommodate any future widening of Crockett Road to a three-lane cross-section.
A revised TIS has been received by staff that considers how the intersections in the area would operate if a secondary access were provided by extending Aberdeen Drive east to the Holt Crest project. The revised TIS also analyzed the installation of a eastbound left turn lane from Crockett Road onto Arrowhead Dr. and an eastbound right turn lane into the Holt project.
At the unsignalized intersection of Crockett Road and Arrowhead Drive, where the primary access to the subdivision would be located, most of the turning movements will operate with acceptable delays and vehicle queues during both peak hours. Although the northbound left turns are expected to operate poorly during the AM and PM peak hours, the vehicle queues are expected to be low. However, based on these results, two additional sets of analyses were conducted for the intersection of the project access with Crockett Road and Arrowhead Drive, as follows:
1. With an eastbound LEFT turn lane; without an eastbound RIGHT turn lane; with the existing two-way stop control.
Most of the turning movements at this intersection will operate with acceptable delays and vehicle queues during both peak hours. Although the northbound left turns are expected to operate poorly during the AM and PM peak hours, the vehicle queues are expected to be low.
2. With an eastbound RIGHT turn lane; without an eastbound LEFT turn lane; with all-way stop control.
The results of the analysis indicate that, with all-way stop control at the intersection of the project access with Crockett Road and Arrowhead Drive, the westbound turning movements will operate poorly during the AM peak hour, and the reciprocal eastbound turning movements will operate poorly during the PM peak hour.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS -- Revised TIS
The supplemental analyses presented in the study indicate that the intersections within the study area will operate at the same levels of service with either access scenario considered. Specifically, if secondary access to the Holt Crest project site is provided by extending Aberdeen Drive to the east, this connection will not significantly impact how the intersections within the study area will operate.
Similarly, at the intersection of Crockett Road and Arrowhead Drive/project access, a new eastbound left turn lane for motorists turning onto Arrowhead Drive would benefit the intersection to the same extent that a new eastbound right turn lane for motorists turning into the new project would benefit the intersection. Specifically, left turn lanes typically reduce the amount of time that traffic on a one-lane approach is stopped, while right turn lanes typically reduce the amount of time that traffic is slowed. However, at the intersection of Crockett Road and Arrowhead Drive/project access, the eastbound right turn volume is higher than the eastbound left turn volume. Therefore, if there is insufficient right-of-way to provide both a separate eastbound left turn lane and a separate eastbound right turn lane, either one of these turn lanes would be beneficial.
Copies of the TIS and the revision were forwarded to Mr. Greg Judy with Neel-Shaffer Inc., who assists staff in the review of the documents submitted for rezoning actions. The applicant will pay for the Neel-Shaffer review per the requirements of Section 50-29(b) of the Municipal Code.
Copies of both Traffic Impact Studies are attached.
The currently approved Major Thoroughfare Plan (MTP) shows a connection for a collector street from Crockett Road at its intersection with Arrowhead Drive thought the Holt and Stubblefield properties and ending at Autumn Place, which is located in the Oak Hall Subdivision. The proposed plan does not provide a stub at the property line to accommodate a future road extension. Construction of a collector street in this general location would be challenging at best. There is steep topography in the area. A large number of trees that would also have to be removed in order to accommodate the required right-of-way and necessary easements. At least three stream crossings would be required. Finally, Autumn Place in the Oakhall subdivision was not built to collector road standards in terms of pavement width. As you are aware staff is in the process of updating the MTP and would recommend that the previously proposed alignment be studied for possible revision or removal from the plan.
Utility Issues
The project is located in the Little Harpeth River drainage basin. Water and sewer service is provided by the City of Brentwood. Sewer capacity in the Little Harpeth River basin is limited by the City's existing capacity agreement with Metro Nashville. The recently completed sewer capacity study for the Little Harpeth River basin assumed that currently undeveloped tracts would eventually develop at a ratio of 0.80 units per acre.
Schools
The property is currently zoned to Crockett Elementary, Woodland Middle and Ravenwood High. According to Williamson County Schools (WCS), the capacity at Crockett Elementary school is 870 students, with a current enrollment of 668 students. Woodland Middle School has a capacity of 975 students and a current enrollment of 866 students. While Ravenwood is currently over capacity, the opening of the new Nolensville High School in 2016 will reduce enrollment at Ravenwood back below capacity. According to enrollment projections provided by WCS based on current Crockett zone estimation factors, approximately 171 students would live within the development evenly distributed with an estimated 57 children in each school category (elementary, middle and high school). WCS officials did indicate that the adjacent Kenrose zone estimation factors, where more new homes have been built recently, are slightly higher for elementary school students. Applying these factors to the new homes proposed in Holt Crest would increase the estimated number of elementary age students to 86. It should be noted that it is expected to take several years for the Holt Crest development to build out, if approved, so the enrollment impact on the schools would occur over time and not all at once.
Historic Background
The submitted plan proposes the preservation of the historic Holtland/Wildwood home, which was built circa 1835, situated on a 1,200 acre plantation. The Board of Commissioners approved Resolution 200-11 in March 2000. The resolution designated certain historic sites as significant. A copy of the resolution is attached below. Holtland/Wildwood is included as part of the list. The home has not been lived is since the early 1960's. Much of the original acreage has been sold. The two-story home is constructed of brick and includes the original two-story brick ell at the rear of the home and several connected outbuildings. In the 1800's, Thomas Holt acquired several hundred acres in the Crockett Road area of what is now Brentwood. His grandson, John Page Holt, lived on the property with his wife, O'Delle K. Holt, during the 1900's. There is also a small cemetery located in the northern portion of the site, across from the intersection of Crockett Road and Arrowhead Drive. The cemetery contains the graves of four decedents.
For more information on the history of the tract, please refer to the attachment below.
If the proposed ordinance is approved on first reading, the applicant will be required to conduct a community meeting to explain the purpose of the rezoning request and to answer any questions from citizens is tentatively scheduled for the first week in December. Property owners within a 1,000 foot radius will be invited to attend. Staff would also recommend that the Board of Commissioners pass a motion to defer further formal consideration by the City of the proposed rezoning until after the Christmas holidays. If approved, the Planning Commission would review the request and provide recommendations at its January 5, 2015 meeting. The public hearing before the Board of Commissioners would be held on January 13, 2015 meeting, with second and final reading scheduled for the January 26, 2015 meeting.
If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact the Planning and Codes Director. |