The developer of a billion dollar housing subdivision, passed in concept last month by the County Planning Commission, came under attack on Monday night.
As did the Williamson County Planning Commission, and the process of project approval by the county.
At the County Commission meeting, multiple members of the community spoke, in support of a petition started last week to- among more specific charges- change the process of approval in the county.
Stephens Valley, a billion-dollar development plan off Hwy100 bordering the Natchez Trace Parkway, Pasquo Road and existing neighborhoods, would bring 791 homes to 726 acres to Williamson and Davidson counties over the next 20 years, spurred the petitioners into action.
The opponents of Stephens Valley say the development is too dense, will cause too much traffic and could endanger the historic Natchez Trace.
The people behind SaveStephensValley.com, the group’s organizing banner and website, have been vocally opposed to the project, organizing protests, attending County and Planning Commission meetings and, now that a concept plan is approved, circulating a petition.
“We just want the officials approving projects to be accountable to the residents of the county,” said Laura Turner, who lives near the proposed project. “The Planning Commission is not elected and does not have term limits, and we, the people, are not allowed to speak out at their meetings. Only the developers. We want the process to change so that we have our voices heard, too. We are the ones who are most affected by the decisions of an unaccountable commission.”
Individuals of the public are allowed three minutes each to speak before the Commission. The petitioners, like relay runners, handed off the podium as they read their points.
Their issue, on this night, was not with Stephens Valley but the process that approved it.
“There were issues that were not considered or overlooked,” said Donna Clements, who lives near the proposed area of Stephens Valley. “We attended the Planning Commission meetings in March and April when the Stephens Valley concept plan was discussed then approved. There was no participation from attendees other than the developer allowed. We understand that the Planning Commission has broad discretion to approve concept plans but it seems there were numerous issues where they arguably used it in a questionable manner.”
In Williamson County,after a concept plan is approved, the plan mst go through several more steps before ground-breaking. Next for Stephens Valley would be a preliminary approval.
No commissioner commented or responded after the residents spoke.
The developer, John Rochford, and the team who has developed Stephens Valley with him, defended the project and for the process which has so far approved it.
“Williamson County has the most vigorous and thorough system for projects like this I have ever seen,” John Rochford, of Rochford Realty, said. “ I am proud of the project and the work we have done.”
“This has been a lengthy, two year, careful process,” Alan Thompson, vice president of Ragan-Smith and the site designer, said. “We got with Natchez Trace, we got with the Highway Commission.”
He said also that there have been four different bodies who conducted traffic surveys, and that process of approval carefully considers all of the concerns of the group.
Those concerns are expressed in the petition, which Christian Currey, who owns a 275-acre farm on Sneed Road, said has 270 signatures so far.
The petition reads:
“Based on the recent approval of the Stephens Valley concept plan, of immediate concern is an inadequate connection between the residential voting constituency and the process by which those plans are being approved by unelected political appointees.”
The petition also list four requests for changes in how the approval process works:
-That any development of more than 20 homes be subject to public hearings run by elected officials, not prospective developers, so that their purpose will be to review building plans and impacts with current residents.
-That the elected county commissioners become voting members of the planning approval process, to represent the voice of the community.
-That Planning Commission appointees have service term limits
-That there be a moratorium on the Stephens Valley build-out until Hillsboro Road is widened to four lanes to accommodate potential increased traffic on an already unacceptably-rated-at-rush-hour Sneed Road.
In support of the petition, the residents brought up points from a joint letter they felt the Planning Commission failed to consider. Issues in the letter included whether or not the Planning Commission considered evidence of conflicting environmental impact studies, how the interests of the homeowners balanced against Rochford’s and Natchez Trace was never mentioned.
Rochford said that some of the group’s claims are pure misrepresentation.
For instance, the group claimed that Rochford, when he developed Temple Hills in the 1980s exceeded the density limits for the zoning at the time; but that since then they have become a precedent and part of the Planning Commissions justification for the density, of a home on every 1.03 acres, that Stephen’s Valley uses.
Rochford, calling it a fabrication, said he did not develop Temple Hill, nor even own it at the time.
The issue, in part, comes down to zoning. Rochford and the Planning Commission’s job is to make sure that projects conform to existing zoning laws. So far, according to Rochford and as evidenced by the Planning Commission’s approval of concept, Stephens Valley is not just in line but has gone through great lengths over the last two years to be certain that it is.
[scroller style=”sc1″ title=”More News” title_size=”17″ number_of_posts=”4″ speed=”300″]
