Crossings 213-acre mixed use preliminary plans head to BOMA, favored by planners - Columbia Daily Herald

Plans for Spring Hill Crossings, a 213-acre proposed mixed-use development, appear to be moving forward in its approval process, with planners approving its preliminary designs earlier this month.

The proposed site would include 136,000 square feet of space, which would serve as a regional headquarters for the Unites States Tennis Association (USTA), 535,000 square feet of commercial development, about 1,000 hotel rooms and approximately 17 acres of recreational area. There will also be about 2,000 residential dwellings, as well as a parking garage associated with the site.

The proposed preliminary review was presented this month to the Spring Hill Planning Commission, where it received a favorable vote, although not without its share of concerns from planners. These were mainly in reference to the development's potential impact on the city's water and sewer capacity, as well as traffic and landscape design.

Planning Director Peter Hughes said, while the plans "aren't quite at that amount of detail yet," the applicant, Gamble Design, has provided details that have addressed planning staff's concerns as far as the general requirements at this stage.

"Staff had some additional comments, and the only outstanding issue is an updated [traffic impact study]," Hughes said. "They've made great progress there, and in addressing its conditions of approval, which there are about 40 associated with this project from many different departments."

Final plans, when presented, would again receive a detailed review from planners, who will provide a recommendation to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, who will have final approval.

Some commissioners, like Elizabeth Droke, were very concerned about the potential water and sewer impact, which Assistant City Administrator Dan Allen previously stated would generate approximately 500,000 gallons per day. The city currently has about a 5 million gallon per day capacity, which sits at about 4.5 million in usage today.

"We don't have this affecting our daily amount yet, but I need to know the reservoir solution the BOMA has been discussing," Droke said. "Is that a band-aid or is it something that's going to have a much bigger impact to the capacity the city can handle?"

Allen said, based on the current rate of growth, the city is expected to hit its sewer capacity by 2025. A new reservoir project recently approved by the BOMA to be constructed on city-owned property is expected to add the needed capacity, while also providing a new public space for pedestrians.

"We'll be able to pour our source water from The Duck River ... basically draw it out of the river and pump it into this reservoir, of which will process our drinking water," Allen said. "That's the project in a nutshell."

Getting the project completed will still take time, Allen added, requiring an extensive preliminary engineering packet to be approved by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).

In the end, the planning commission approved a favorable recommendation to the BOMA, while also adding a condition that the Spring Hill Historic Commission provide a list of its own recommendations to the BOMA given the site's location in proximity to a historic battlefield.

Planning Commission Chair Jonathan Duda, who was the only opposing vote, said "more needs to be done" in regard to the historic significance of the battlefield.

"I believe you all have done a fantastic job providing for the other things we have asked for, such as economic development, connectivity, but I just don't think it has gone far enough," Duda said.

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