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Vote delayed on 204-home subdivision




Plans for Bledsoe Springs include 102 single-family homes and 102 townhomes on 44.79 acres off Hartsville Pike near Airport Road in Gallatin. SUBMITTED

Plans for Bledsoe Springs include 102 single-family homes and 102 townhomes on 44.79 acres off Hartsville Pike near Airport Road in Gallatin. SUBMITTED

Plans for a new 204-home subdivision on Hartsville Pike are being reworked after several members of the Gallatin Planning Commission raised concerns about the close proximity of some of the residences to the city’s industrial park last month.

A vote on whether to recommend approval of a preliminary master development plan, annexation and rezoning for Bledsoe Springs was unanimously deferred by planning commissioners on Monday, June 22.

Tennessee Construction Associates is looking to build 102 single-family homes and 102 townhomes on 44.79 acres located just west of the Sunnymeade subdivision near Airport Road, according to plans for the project. The maximum density allowed by the property’s existing residential zoning is 173 units.

“I’ve heard two or three other people echo what I said a moment ago and that is that we’re probably not willing to grant that increase in density that you’re requesting along with the configuration of the townhomes that you’ve placed close to the industrial park,” Gallatin Planning Commission Chairman John Puryear said prior to the deferral. “However, if you came back with an alternative plan where you… placed everything to the south of the creek, you’ll still get an increase in density, not necessarily what you were asking for, but you’ll avoid the infrastructure costs of developing that road and going across that creek up there.”

Gallatin Economic Development Agency Executive Director James Fenton previously told city leaders that the operations of an existing nearby industry “may be too loud” if the townhomes were allowed to be built as they were shown on the original plans.

Before the vote, several members of the planning commission suggested that a lower density would help alleviate the concerns they had about the project and would be more consistent with surrounding neighborhoods.

“The possibility of noise complaints with that (development) being so close to the industrial park could be a valid concern,” Planning Commissioner Matt Harris said. “I think it’s a good idea for them to take a look at that.”

While the layout of the development is expected to be changed to address the concerns, the overall density is expected to remain the same, project representative Andy Leath with GreenLID Design told the Gallatin News on Monday.

An updated plan for the project is expected to go back before the planning commission for a recommendation later this month. It would then go to the city council for a final decision.

If approved, Bledsoe Springs would have two entrances along Hartsville Pike – one near Hillside Lane and the other near Robertson Road – along with a connection to Valley Ridge Drive West, according to plans for the project. Construction would be estimated to start in October and would take approximately two years to complete.

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