More than 300 homes – and possibly a new elementary school – could be coming to the Brookwood Drive area just west of Interstate 165 after action taken Thursday by the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County.

Despite more than two dozen residents of the Brookwood Drive area near Morgantown Road turning out in opposition, the planning commission voted 7-0 to approve the application of Mark Williams of M.A. Williams Properties to rezone 83.63 acres from agriculture to planned unit development.

Under Williams’ development plan, the property will be developed with a maximum of 58 single-family attached homes (duplex-like twinhomes) and 272 single-family detached homes.

That plan results in a high-for-the-area density of 3.95 dwelling units per acre, but the attorney representing Williams explained that the recent availability of sewer in the area naturally leads to denser developments.

“Given the fact that this is a new sewered development, this application is consistent with the Future Land Use Map,” said attorney Chris Davenport.

Those nearby residents didn’t agree.

Seven of them spoke against the development, citing traffic, safety and noise concerns and questioning the compatibility of the development with the largely rural area.

“I’m totally opposed,” said Kerry Higginbotham, who lives directly across Brookwood Drive from the proposed development. “We love seeing the deer and even hearing the coyotes.

“I’m dreading the day when we’ll only hear vehicles and see houses.”

Davenport said the traffic concerns raised by Higginbotham and others are addressed by the developer’s agreement to widen Brookwood Drive from Morgantown Road to the development’s entrance to a width of 21 feet.

Davenport also pointed out that Williams’ development plan calls for homes of at least 1,400 square feet with one-car garages and for sidewalks on both sides of interior streets.

That prospective new elementary school is another plus, according to Davenport.

Williams controls 104.15 total acres but is setting aside a little more than 20 of those acres that are close to I-165 for a possible sale to Warren County Public Schools.

That will help with the traffic concerns, Davenport said, because “the state board of education requires extremely strict traffic control.”

Chris McIntyre, chief financial officer for the county school system, called the property “a strategic potential acquisition” for a school system that has experienced rapid growth for years.

“We’re actually seeing a lot of student growth on the west side,” McIntyre explained. “Tonight’s decision will help those talks (about buying the 20 acres) continue.”

McIntyre called the potential purchase of the 20 acres “a great opportunity.”

“We like to build schools adjacent to residential developments,” he said.

The residents who turned out to oppose the development weren’t so enthusiastic, although their primary spokesperson wasn’t surprised by the unanimous approval.

“It was what I expected,” Higginbotham said. “But I wasn’t going to go down without having my say.”

The rezoning must go to Warren Fiscal Court for final approval, and Higginbotham said she plans to make her voice heard there as well.

“I’ll be at fiscal court,” she said. “I hope my neighbors will be too.”

In the only other item on Thursday’s agenda, the planning commission approved the application of Anthony Shryock and Joey Saenz to rezone 5.06 acres at 448 Cleveland Drive from agriculture to residential estate to divide the property into two single-family residential tracts.

Cleveland Drive resident Joey Upchurch spoke against the development, saying the Mary Bandy subdivision has already exceeded the number of homes established by subdivision restrictions, but the rezoning passed 6-0 (commissioner Christiaan Volkert excused himself from the vote).

The Cleveland Drive rezoning will go to Warren Fiscal Court for final approval.