Germantown Planning Commission Meeting Summary – July 1, 2025

On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., the Germantown Planning Commission met in City Hall Council Chambers (1930 S. Germantown Rd.) after a 5:30 p.m. executive session. Chairman Jon McCreery presided; Commissioners David Clark, Bacon, Jim Jacobs, Levy, Robert Sloan, Alderman Tony Salvaggio, and Mayor Mike Palazzolo were present. Commissioner Clark recused himself from the Upland Rezoning item because of his ownership interest. The commission unanimously approved the June 3, 2025 meeting minutes and, over the course of the evening, considered three regular agenda items: the TraVure PD Phase 4 revised final plan, the Fulmer Farms Phases 1 & 2 tree mitigation deferment, and the Upland rezoning. Chairman McCreery noted that the combined projects represented roughly $150–200 million in finished development value.

Public Comments & Testimony

• TraVure PD Phase 4: Greg Markham, 6800 Poplar Ave., representing neighboring Eaves Firm Engineers, spoke in support, saying the site had been a dirt mound for years, the proposed development was a higher and better use, and the underground detention would reduce muddy runoff crossing Poplar into their detention pond. No other public comments were submitted.
• Fulmer Farms/Wolf River Medical Project: Robert Jurgens, 7295 Oakville Drive, a certified arborist and 43-year owner of Jones Brothers Tree Landscape Company, spoke on behalf of The Vineyards HOA. He expressed concerns about preserving 60–70 foot trees screening the HOA property, said the proposed 25-foot do not disturb zone was inadequate, requested a buffer extending at least to the east perimeter of the existing sewer easement (roughly 45–50 feet), asked that landscape buffers be planted at the top of the slope, and requested that the retention basin be moved 15 feet from a neighboring brick wall. Cindy Reaves, applicant representative, assured the board that the developers had met with The Vineyards HOA multiple times and would continue coordination during clearing and construction.
• Upland Rezoning: A resident at 2410 Johnson Road, who said she had lived there 37 years and bought with the understanding that Johnson Road would remain two-acre estate lots, opposed the rezoning of the frontage into smaller lots, cited heavy traffic from schools, a church, soccer fields, and 18-wheelers, deteriorating road conditions, and drainage concerns. John Shikule, 2420 Johnson Road, said he was not opposed to development but asked the commission to maintain the two-acre lot integrity along Johnson Road and to consider traffic and bike lane mitigation.

Discussion Items

• TraVure PD Phase 4 (Case 15-524): Staff presented a request for approval of a revised final plan for the last phase of the TraVure development, a 2.05-acre T-5 Urban Center site at the southwest corner of TraVure Drive and Poplar Avenue. The proposal is a two-story retail/office building of approximately 34,271 square feet with 86 required parking spaces and 107 proposed spaces, including spaces in a nearby parking garage, plus 12 bicycle spaces. The building would be set back about 93 feet from Poplar, with stormwater detention in the front parking area. The applicant requested several justified design alternatives (JDAs) related to pedestrian circulation, parking location and landscape islands, and building placement and massing, explaining they were based on market conditions and the need for visible, front-door parking to attract retail tenants. Commissioner Jacobs asked why relief from the pedestrian-circulation requirement was needed; staff explained that building entrances face the interior road rather than Poplar. Commissioner Clark asked about the 3.5-foot retaining wall, and applicant Brown Gill stated it would screen parking and headlights. Commissioner Levy asked about the setback and signalization; Gill said the wall and landscaping would mitigate visibility, and the existing traffic signal at TraVure had been tuned and would not need changes for the incremental traffic. No public opponents spoke. Commissioners praised the developer for persevering through a roughly 10-year entitlement process and found the JDAs justified. The motion to approve the revised final plan and JDAs, subject to staff conditions and construction-plan-review comments, passed unanimously.
• Fulmer Farms Phases 1 & 2 / Wolf River Medical Project (Case 19-921): Director Ross presented a request by Twin Bridges Investments LLC to defer payment-in-lieu tree mitigation until approval of a final site plan, in connection with a grading and tree removal permit to prepare the 19.36-acre site (Parcel 1 = 13.874 acres, Parcel 2 = 5.486 acres) for future medical office development. The calculated tree mitigation was $63,000 total ($47,000 for Parcel 1, $16,000 for Parcel 2). Staff recommended a letter of credit for $63,000, supported by the city arborist, with the fee held until a final site plan and development contract are approved or for 18 months. Commissioner Jacobs raised concerns about ensuring mitigation is recovered if the project is never built; staff explained that if no final site plan and development contract are approved, the letter of credit would be called, and additional controls exist through the Board of Mayor and Aldermen development contract process. Joe Jarratt, applicant principal, said the site is one of the last large sites in the Germantown Medical Quarter, that there are no medical office blocks over 5,000 square feet available in the corridor, and that specialty medical users justify ground-up construction. Commissioner Sloan proposed an amendment, seconded, requiring that 75% of any forfeited letter-of-credit funds be used for on-site mitigation rather than deposited in the citywide fund; the amendment passed unanimously. After further discussion of the 25-foot do not disturb zone and the HOA's concerns—which staff clarified were not part of this approval and would be addressed in the later site plan and grading process—the amended motion to approve the deferment passed unanimously.
• Upland Rezoning (Case 24-024): Staff presented a request to rezone 26.79 acres at 2385 Johnson Road from RE Residential Estate (minimum two-acre lots) to RE-1 Residential Estate (minimum one-acre lots). The property is between Garner Woods and Gwynhollow Cove, both zoned or developed as RE-1, and is across Johnson Road from larger estate lots. A concept plan shows 17 lots meeting the one-acre standard, with large lots along Johnson Road and preservation of the existing pond. Applicant Steve Hooper of ETI Corp said local realtors report higher demand for one-acre than two-acre lots, and the developers wanted to design around the lake. Commissioner David Clark recused himself from the dais but later spoke as a developer, citing market trends, the lake asset, and continuity of RE-1 zoning to the north and south. Some commissioners expressed initial concern about the Johnson Road frontage transitioning from two-acre estate lots to one-acre lots, but ultimately found the RE-1 zoning compatible because the adjacent neighborhoods are RE-1 and the visual character and setbacks would be similar. The motion to approve the rezoning, subject to the staff report and submitted plans, passed unanimously with Commissioner Clark recused.

Old Business

• Chairman McCreary announced that the next sketch plan meeting on July 17, 2025 will include a review of the RV parking ordinance at the request of Mayor Palazzolo. Mayor Palazzolo said the review would revisit the zoning text amendments previously approved by the Planning Commission and ratified by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the June 3, 2025 meeting minutes unanimously.
• Approved TraVure PD Phase 4 revised final plan and JDAs unanimously (8–0).
• Approved Fulmer Farms Phases 1 & 2 tree mitigation deferment with a letter-of-credit condition and an amendment requiring 75% of any forfeited security to be used for on-site tree mitigation; passed unanimously (8–0).
• Approved the Upland rezoning from RE to RE-1 unanimously (7–0), with Commissioner David Clark recused due to his ownership interest in the applicant entity.
• Set a July 17, 2025 sketch plan meeting to review the RV parking ordinance.