Ordinance would establish Planned Unit Development northeast of Centennial Park

By Bill Short
The Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen has unanimously passed an ordinance on first reading that would establish a Planned Unit Development district on the city’s Zoning Map.
Board members took the action during their Aug. 9 regular monthly meeting on a motion offered by Alderman Thomas McGhee and seconded by Alderman Don Lowry.
The proposed ordinance is scheduled for a public hearing and final reading at the board’s Sept. 13 meeting.
It would re-zone 76.26 acres northeast of Centennial Park from M-P, Planned Industrial, to PUD, Planned Unit Development, that would allow commercial and mixed-use commercial, multiple-family, townhouses and open space.
At its July 19 meeting, the Millington Planning Commission voted to recommend that the board approve the re-zoning request with certain conditions.
The commission also approved a required Outline Plan for the project that is included in the ordinance as an attachment.
Charles Goforth, planning consultant for the city, told the board that the PUD is proposed to have some commercial on the ground floor and multiple-family on the second and third floors.
He said there are sites for a hotel, commercial, a large area for townhouses as well as a park, open space and a stormwater detention basin.
Goforth noted that a PUD is a two-step process. After the zoning is approved, architectural design and detail must be a part of the Master Development Plans.
Those plans, along with Engineering and/or Site Plan submissions, will be required on each phase of the project as it is developed.
Goforth said the developers have prepared a phased plan on how the project will be developed. He also said the stormwater detention basin has been redesigned.
At the planning commission’s Aug. 16 meeting, Goforth said the planning staff met with the applicants last month, and they were able to “work out quite a few” of the conditions.
He noted that, after working with City Manager Ed Haley and the city’s Public Works Department, they agreed that the common open space that will serve the commercial and mixed-use parts of the project will be private streets.
Both East and West Navy Circle and East National Street will all remain public streets.
Because the park will remain open for the whole development, Goforth said part of the open space will be available during the entire construction process.
“And additional sections will be developed,” he noted. “So, there will be adequate open space to meet the 20-percent requirement.”
Goforth said the applicants had initially requested some four-story buildings. But they have agreed that none will be taller than three stories, except for the hotel, which will have four.
He acknowledged that this project will not be possible without the board’s approval of an ordinance that would authorize “Planned-Unit” developments instead of “Mixed-Use” ones.
At its Aug. 9 meeting, the board unanimously passed that ordinance on first reading. It is scheduled for a public hearing and final reading at the Sept. 13 meeting.