The Hendersonville Planning Commission voted down the preliminary plat for a proposed 12‑lot subdivision on 74.5 acres at 155 Caldwell Drive after commissioners said the developer had not completed required flood‑plain analyses and stream restoration plans. The motion to approve the preliminary plat with staff comments failed, 2‑6.

The commission’s decision followed public comments from nearby residents and repeated requests from commissioners that the applicant finalize a flood study and a stream restoration plan before the commission grants preliminary approval. Tom Galbraith, who said he lives on 126 Tara Lane, asked who approved the placement of truckloads of fill in the flood plain and said he had not received answers from the city. Resident Wes Horton, vice president of his homeowners association, told the commission the 2010 flood showed how quickly water can migrate and said the development “has got to be engineered.” Mary Ann Restivo said recent heavy rain “showed the water was really backing up” and expressed concern that fill on the site had worsened local flooding.

Zach Elliott, a design representative for the applicant, JLR Property Holdings LLC, said the applicant has been working with city stormwater staff and had resubmitted a stream restoration plan. Elliott told the commission his team planned to “restore the grading of this stream…to its 2018 condition,” include a 60‑foot riparian buffer and remediate the flood‑plain impacts. He added the applicant had been in “ongoing dialogue with City of Hendersonville stormwater” and expected to submit a revised flood study “within the next day or so.”

Commissioner Charles Hasty said he would not support approval until the flood study was “finalized, completed, and we know that any field is not gonna have a rise on the flood plain,” and several other commissioners echoed that position. Planning Director Keith Free explained that while many detailed construction and drainage requirements are handled in later permit steps, public works staff had made specific comments tying final engineering and any field corrective action to formal approvals; he also confirmed the applicant had requested a deferral but that the commission could act on the item at the meeting.

After more than an hour of testimony and discussion, a motion to put the submission on the floor to vote with all staff comments (moved by Commissioner Kerr and seconded by Commissioner Slattery) failed, 2 yes, 6 no. The commission did not approve the plat; staff told residents they would notify neighborhood leaders of future meetings and that any future approval would be conditioned on city stormwater acceptance of the flood study and stream restoration plan.

Why it matters: Commissioners and neighbors said the unresolved flood‑plain and stream issues raise real risks to homes downstream and that approving a preliminary plat without completed studies would leave affected homeowners with unaddressed hazards and uncertainty.

Background: The proposal would create 12 single‑family lots averaging 1.12 acres in the Estate Residential (ER) zone; the applicant removed five previously proposed Caldwell‑fronting lots from the plan before this submission. City staff and the applicant agreed that any major changes resulting from approved flood‑plain remediation could require resubmission to the planning commission.

What’s next: The developer indicated it will continue working with stormwater staff on the flood study and stream restoration plan and may seek a deferral or a future resubmission once those materials are approved by the city.