Two items on the Smyrna, Tennessee, Town Council's workshop agenda tonight matter to anyone building in town: a new plan for a gated 55+ neighborhood off Kedron Church Road, and a change to how early site plans have to be turned in. Both are back for second and final reading, according to tonight's workshop agenda. The draft site plan ordinance lists Nov. 10 for the final council vote.
Bankside becomes a 55+ community
A homebuilder is asking to rework the Bankside planned residential development on Bankside Drive and Kedron Church Road. The amended plan allows 202 single-family lots restricted to buyers age 55 and up, according to the town staff report in the packet for the council's meeting earlier this month.
The approval on the books now, from October 2019, is for 249 lots on 89.4 acres. The new plan adds a parcel, grows the development to 100.25 acres and drops overall density to 2.02 houses per acre, with 52.62 acres left as open space.
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Other details from the staff report:
- minimum lot size of 6,650 square feet
- minimum house size of 1,600 square feet on 50-foot lots and 2,400 square feet on 60-foot lots
- private streets, with a gate at the main entrance off Kedron Church Road and an emergency gate at Bankside Drive
- the existing sewer upsized from 8 inches to 15 inches and extended across the site
- a required traffic study, with the developer paying for any road fixes it calls for
Town staff flagged concerns about Kedron Church Road between Rocky Fork Almaville Road and the entrance, and about the curve where the new road meets it. The Planning Commission recommended approval 5 for, 1 against. It approved two of the builder's three waiver requests and turned down a clause that would have brought back the old plan if construction hadn't started within 2 years.
Site plans due two weeks earlier
The second item moves Smyrna's site plan deadline. Today, complete site plans are due 24 days before a Planning Commission meeting. The amendment makes it 38 calendar days.
The reason is a new state law. Public Chapter 1044 takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Staff wrote that it gives the town 30 business days to send first review comments, 60 business days to get an item on the Planning Commission agenda, and only two rounds of comments before a project goes on the agenda or is denied. Staff said the earlier deadline buys two extra weeks of review and gives engineers more time to answer comments. The Planning Commission backed it 6 for, 0 against.
A matching change for sketch, preliminary and final plats goes to a Planning Commission public hearing and vote at the November 5 meeting.
Also on tonight's agenda
The workshop list includes a contract for a new traffic signal at the eastbound I-24 off-ramp onto Sam Ridley Parkway, and a presentation on buying about 11 acres on Gresham Drive for the Senior Activity Center and a future expansion of Lee Victory Park.
Sources
- Town Council Workshop agenda, October 29, 2026, Town of Smyrna
- Town Council meeting packet, October 13, 2026, Town of Smyrna
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