Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Germantown Planning Commission Meeting - November 4, 2025

Board of Mayor and Aldermen & City Boards — Tuesday, November 4, 2025

BodyGermantown, Tennessee

SessionBoard of Mayor and Aldermen & City Boards

DateTuesday, November 4, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:11:32

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:02

6 o'clock now.

0:04

All right, good evening, everyone, and welcome to the November 4th meeting of the City of Germantown Planning Commission.

0:09

My name is John McCreary, and I'll be serving as your chairman today.

0:12

We'll begin this evening's meeting with a roll call to establish a quorum.

0:16

Ms.

0:16

Tillman, would you proceed, please?

0:20

Mr.

0:21

Levy.

0:22

I'm sorry, Ms.

0:23

Haddock.

0:23

I didn't realize you were doing it tonight.

0:25

My bad.

0:26

Mr.

0:26

Sloan.

0:27

Present.

0:28

Mr.

0:28

Clark?

0:29

Yes.

0:30

Ms.

0:30

Sisson.

0:31

Here.

0:31

Mr.

0:32

Bacon.

0:32

Here.

0:33

Alderman Salvaggio?

0:35

Here.

0:36

Chairman McCreary.

0:37

Here.

0:38

Thank you, Ms.

0:39

Haddock.

0:39

We've got a quorum.

0:40

I'd like to explain, uh remind everybody that we've got uh today's agenda with copies online on the Germantown City calendar, and we have a copies available at the front of the chamber if anyone here would like one.

0:53

As a matter of courtesies to those watching or present here tonight, I'm going to explain our normal procedures.

0:58

Uh the item number in the case from today's agenda will be read by the chairperson.

1:02

Staff will then give their report.

1:04

After the staff report, commission members will be able to ask questions of staff.

1:08

Following commission questions and clarifications of staff, we will have an applicant, we will have a presentation by the applicant.

1:14

After the presentation by the applicant, the commissioners will be able to ask questions of the applicant.

1:18

Once the commission questions of the applicant are complete, we'll break into a public hearing for the agenda item, which is required by state law, and the public will be given a chance to make comments for or against the agenda item.

1:30

Once the public comments are complete, we'll go back to the regular agenda and our vice chair will make a motion and we'll get a second.

1:36

At that time, the members of the commission will discuss the case and make comments.

1:39

Once the commission discussions and comments are complete, we'll ask for a final roll call vote.

1:44

If you'd like to make comments on any item that's on today's agenda, if you would please fill out a citizens to be heard sheet and bring it up front and hand it to one of our staff members located in the front of the chamber.

1:54

And when that item is called and we move to the public hearing portion of the agenda item, you'll be given an opportunity to make your comments.

2:00

Each side for and against will be given a total of 15 minutes with no more than three minutes per person.

2:05

If there's multiple speakers on each side for or against, we would ask that you please divide your time up accordingly.

2:11

We certainly are supportive of community involvement and we welcome citizen and neighborhood comments.

2:15

We're very respectful of the fact that you've taken time away from your work and your family to be here today and adjusted your schedules to be here today, but we ask that your comments be made within the time frame allowed.

2:25

At this point, I'd like to read our conflict of interest statement.

2:29

The agreed procedure of the Germantown Planning Commission asks that any member of the board recuse himself or herself from any participation in the discussion or voting on any matter on the meeting's agenda in which he or she may have a direct or indirect personal financial interest.

2:43

The member shall vacate his seat or her seat for the deliberation on any matter from which they have recused themselves.

2:49

An abstention may substitute for a recusal for the purpose of us maintaining a quorum.

2:53

Lastly, I'd like to ask everybody to silence your cell phone so as not to interrupt today's proceedings.

2:58

So with our procedures explained, we'll move forward with the approval of our minutes.

3:02

Can I get a motion for the approval of a minutes from the last meeting with one note?

3:07

The state comproller's office has now requested that all of our public meetings have the minutes approved.

3:13

Therefore, item number four on your agenda will be the approval of the minutes from the planning commission meeting on August 5th, the work session meeting on October 7th, and the sketch plan meeting for October 23rd.

3:28

It is supported by our legal representation that you still can vote on minutes if you were not there as long as you've read the minutes and you agree with them as presented.

3:41

If you've done that, you're welcome to vote on the minutes.

3:44

If you prefer to abstain, you certainly can do that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Tree Management████████████████████████████28%

Procedural███████████████████████████27%

Zoning██████████████████████22%

Affordable Housing████████8%

Public Engagement███████7%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%

Parks and Recreation██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Germantown Planning Commission Meeting - November 4, 2025

The City of Germantown Planning Commission met on November 4, 2025, at 6:00 PM (following a 5:30 PM executive session) in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jon McCreery with a quorum present. The primary agenda item was Case (24-024) Upland Subdivision, a 17-lot subdivision on 26.79 acres at 2385 Johnson Road, requesting preliminary and final plat approval along with variances to the subdivision regulations. The commission also approved minutes from prior meetings and received liaison reports.

Consent Calendar

Minutes Approval: The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the August 5, 2025, October 7, 2025, and October 23, 2025 meetings. (Roll call: 8 yes, 0 no)

Public Comments & Testimony

Brian and Allison McBride (9310 Gwynhollow Cove) expressed concerns about tree removal on lots 6 and 7, which border their property. They noted that they purchased their home expecting the adjacent property to remain as two-acre lots and invested heavily in landscaping based on the existing tree screen. They requested the commission to seriously consider preserving the setback and screening trees.

Discussion Items

Staff Report: Director Ross presented the Upland Subdivision request. The site is zoned RE-1 (Residential Estate one-acre lots) after a recent rezoning. The applicant sought four variances:
1. Reduction of the standard 50-foot street right-of-way to 31 feet (private street).
2. Dead-end street length of 1,455 feet, exceeding the maximum of 1,200 feet.
3. No sidewalk installation on both sides of collector and major streets (internal to the subdivision).
4. Private street to allow gating (not permitted by right in RE-1).
Staff recommended approval of the variances with conditions, including a tree mitigation fee of $112,000 (per city ordinance calculation) and a parkland dedication fee of $5,800. The applicant initially requested a reduction to $83,120 for tree mitigation, accounting for the lake area and trees in building footprints, but staff did not support that reduction.
Applicant Presentation: Michael Murphy (Upland Partners) and engineer Steve Hooper (ETI Corp.) presented. They emphasized their commitment to a high-quality development, preserving the lake and existing trees. They withdrew the request to waive the parkland dedication fee and agreed to install sidewalks on Johnson Road. They clarified that the private street would have no sidewalks, but sidewalks would be built along Johnson Road's frontage.
Fire Marshal Input: The fire marshal confirmed that the proposed street width and dead-end length meet fire code requirements, making the variances acceptable.
Commission Discussion: Commissioner Sisson raised concerns about the sidewalk variance, leading to an amendment clarifying that sidewalks are required on Johnson Road and that if the private streets are ever converted to public, sidewalks must be installed. The board also discussed the tree mitigation fee, with several members noting the difficulty of enforcing future tree preservation on individual lots. The applicant's request to reduce the fee to $83,120 was not included in the final motion.

Key Outcomes

Motion Passed (8-0): The commission approved the preliminary and final plat for Upland Subdivision with the four variances as amended. Commissioner Clark recused himself from the vote.
Variances Granted:
- Dead-end street length (1,455 ft) – approved.
- Private street width (31 ft) – approved.
- No sidewalks on internal private streets – approved, with the condition that sidewalks be installed on Johnson Road and that if the private streets become public, sidewalks must be added.
- Private street for gating – approved.
Tree Mitigation Fee: Set at $112,000 (staff recommendation), not the $83,120 requested by the applicant. The applicant will also plant 33-inch caliper trees in common open space, which will be credited toward mitigation.
Parkland Dedication: The $5,800 fee is accepted (applicant withdrew waiver request).
Next Steps: The applicant will proceed with the design review application (DRC) for final landscape plans and detailed engineering.

Meeting Transcript

6 o'clock now. All right, good evening, everyone, and welcome to the November 4th meeting of the City of Germantown Planning Commission. My name is John McCreary, and I'll be serving as your chairman today. We'll begin this evening's meeting with a roll call to establish a quorum. Ms. Tillman, would you proceed, please? Mr. Levy. I'm sorry, Ms. Haddock. I didn't realize you were doing it tonight. My bad. Mr. Sloan. Present. Mr. Clark? Yes. Ms. Sisson. Here. Mr. Bacon. Here. Alderman Salvaggio? Here. Chairman McCreary. Here. Thank you, Ms. Haddock. We've got a quorum. I'd like to explain, uh remind everybody that we've got uh today's agenda with copies online on the Germantown City calendar, and we have a copies available at the front of the chamber if anyone here would like one. As a matter of courtesies to those watching or present here tonight, I'm going to explain our normal procedures. Uh the item number in the case from today's agenda will be read by the chairperson. Staff will then give their report. After the staff report, commission members will be able to ask questions of staff. Following commission questions and clarifications of staff, we will have an applicant, we will have a presentation by the applicant. After the presentation by the applicant, the commissioners will be able to ask questions of the applicant. Once the commission questions of the applicant are complete, we'll break into a public hearing for the agenda item, which is required by state law, and the public will be given a chance to make comments for or against the agenda item. Once the public comments are complete, we'll go back to the regular agenda and our vice chair will make a motion and we'll get a second. At that time, the members of the commission will discuss the case and make comments. Once the commission discussions and comments are complete, we'll ask for a final roll call vote. If you'd like to make comments on any item that's on today's agenda, if you would please fill out a citizens to be heard sheet and bring it up front and hand it to one of our staff members located in the front of the chamber. And when that item is called and we move to the public hearing portion of the agenda item, you'll be given an opportunity to make your comments. Each side for and against will be given a total of 15 minutes with no more than three minutes per person. If there's multiple speakers on each side for or against, we would ask that you please divide your time up accordingly. We certainly are supportive of community involvement and we welcome citizen and neighborhood comments. We're very respectful of the fact that you've taken time away from your work and your family to be here today and adjusted your schedules to be here today, but we ask that your comments be made within the time frame allowed. At this point, I'd like to read our conflict of interest statement. The agreed procedure of the Germantown Planning Commission asks that any member of the board recuse himself or herself from any participation in the discussion or voting on any matter on the meeting's agenda in which he or she may have a direct or indirect personal financial interest.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com