Germantown Design Review Commission Meeting - November 18, 2025
Germantown Design Review Commission Meeting – November 18, 2025
The Germantown Design Review Commission met on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 6:00 PM. The meeting began with roll call, establishment of a quorum, and a motion to add two items to the agenda (approval of subcommittee minutes from October 9, 2025, and a proclamation to honor retiring counsel Robert A. McLean). The consent agenda contained four routine approvals, all passed unanimously. The meeting concluded with a brief discussion of the 2026 meeting schedule and adjournment.
Consent Calendar
- Case (17-705) – Lakeview at Germantown (formerly Avenida Watermarq): Approval of a refaced ground-mounted sign at 7900 Wolf River Blvd. Applicant: Custom Sign Factory; Property Owner: GVII – IREP AWG Owner, LP.
- Case (17-743) – Germantown United Methodist Church (GUMC) Trinity Center: Approval of a revised landscape and lighting plan for an outdoor amphitheater at 2305 McVay Rd. Applicant: UrbanARCH Associates; Property Owner: Germantown United Methodist Church.
- Case (24-024) – Upland Subdivision: Approval of a landscape plan and subdivision entrance feature at 2385 Johnson Rd. Applicant/Developer: Upland Partners, LLC.
- Case (25-020) – 2404 Arthur Rd. Development Plan (former Phoenix School): Approval of building modifications, revised final site plan, and revised landscape plan in Old Germantown (OG) at 2404 Arthur Rd. Applicant/Developer: DSD Investments, LLC; Property Owner: MOGG (PSO). All four consent items were approved unanimously by roll-call vote (6-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
No public comments were offered.
Discussion Items
- Proclamation to Honor Robert A. McLean, Esq.: The Commission presented a proclamation recognizing Mr. McLean’s 32 years of service as legal counsel to the Design Review Commission. The proclamation highlighted his academic background (Rhodes College, Princeton University MA/PhD, University of Memphis School of Law), his prior career as an assistant professor of Russian literature, his role as assistant city attorney from 1981 to 2025, and his professional honors (Best Lawyers in America 2013–2026, Super Lawyers 2014–2023). Mr. McLean expressed gratitude, and several commissioners offered personal thanks.
Key Outcomes
- Agenda Addition: Approved unanimously to add the October 9, 2025 subcommittee minutes and the proclamation to the agenda.
- Minutes Approval: Approved unanimously the minutes of the DRC Subcommittee meeting of October 9, 2025, and the DRC Regular meeting of October 28, 2025.
- Consent Agenda: All four items (A–D) approved unanimously.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned after a brief discussion about scheduling the 2026 subcommittee meetings at 4:30 PM as a compromise between 4:00 and 5:00 preferences.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everyone to our November 18th design review commission meeting at this time. Please call roll to establish a quorum. Mr. Nischwitz? Here. Ms. Meanwell. Here. Mr. White. Here. Ms. Kimbrough. Here. Alderman Hicks. Here. Vice Chairman Schmidt. Here. Okay, thank you. We have a quorum. And we would like to add two items to the agenda. So the proposed motion is to add the minutes from the subcommittee meeting of October 9th, 2025 under item four. And then after that, we would like to add the agenda item of a proclamation. So could I we please have a motion and a second for those? Motion to approve. And a second. Okay, motion a second. Could you please call roll, Ms. Haddock? Mr. Nischwitz. Yes. Miss Meanwell? Yes. Mr. White? Yes. Miss Kimbrough. Yes. Alderman Hicks. Yes. Vice Chairman Schmidt. Yes. Okay, thank you. And now we'll move on to citizen comments. If there are any comments of anyone that would like to speak to any items on the agenda, please let us know. If not, we will move on to item four, approval of the minutes from both the subcommittee meeting October 9th, 2025, and the regular meeting, October 28th, 2025. Approval of the minutes. Okay. Move to approve.
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