
Rendering courtesy of Shelby County Development Services.
Mt Laurel Master Plan
The Shelby County Planning Commission is considering several changes to the Mt Laurel master plan. These include designating multi-family home lots in Blocks 9 and 10 (shown in orange, fronting Hawthorn Street) to single-family lots, adding commercial lots (shown in red) and adding institutional areas for Hilltop Montessori (shown in purple).
Two commercial changes are being considered for properties in Mt Laurel and its neighbor, Dunnavant Square.
On July 20, the Shelby County Planning Commission will consider amending the master plan for the Mt Laurel community. This change will re-designate two lots of multi-family housing, bounded by Olmsted Street, Parsons Street and Hawthorn Street, as single-family residences. It will also re-designate a section of common green space, located between Hilltop Montessori School and Dunnavant Valley Road, as commercial and residential lots.
Shelby County Senior Planner Sharman Brooks said these changes were always intended as part of the master plan for the community. The Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. on Ju ly 20 in the County Services building’s community room, and members of the public are invited to express their opinions at the meeting.
No commercial plans have been made for the common area yet. The parts of the property that will be zoned institutional will allow Hilltop Montessori to construct a new gymnasium.
A private developer is also in the early stages of planning new commercial development in the area. Bill Thornton of Bill Thornton Construction said he wants to bring new retail, potentially including a gas station, bank or shops, to property he owns in the Mt Laurel and Dunnavant Square area.
Thornton has owned these properties for about eight years, and he said the master plan has always included the option of commercial uses. The lots are designated as special district zones, which offer a wide variety of residential and commercial development options.
“Now it just makes sense to go forward with this commercial development,” Thornton said.
While he emphasized that any design plans are “all conceptual” at this stage, Thornton believes building a grocery store in the area “would be fantastic for the valley.”
Thornton expects to have more detailed design plans created before the end of summer. Shelby County Principal Planner Kristine Goddard confirmed that Thornton Construction is expected to submit a site plan in August for review, which is a precursor to receiving building permits.