Northern Warren County’s transformation from pastoral to populous could soon be accelerated, based on two developments to be considered July 18 by the City-County Planning Commission.

But the developments – a 265-lot subdivision in the heart of Smiths Grove and an RV park along Plum Springs Road – most likely won’t sail through without opposition.

The RV park, proposed to be built on a 15-acre site across Barren River from Beech Bend Amusement Park, faced vocal opposition in May when the plan of developer Montie Brown earned a Future Land Use Map amendment by a 5-4 vote.

The Smiths Grove subdivision was also on the agenda for that May meeting, but developer Anthony Lautieri withdrew it in the face of questions and concerns raised by residents of the small city already dealing with the disruption of having a 120-pump Buc-ee’s gas station/outsized convenience store set up shop in their quaint town.

Now it’s back, headed by a new developer with experience building upscale properties in the greater Nashville area.

Jeremy Riggs, founder and owner of Gallatin, Tennessee-based JR Builders, now controls the 76 acres along narrow Hedge Street and plans to move forward with the housing plan.

His application to change the acreage’s zoning from agriculture to single-family residential is the first step toward what Riggs sees as a development that will be compatible with the Smiths Grove small-town feel.

Riggs explained that the farm property had been in his wife’s family for years, making it a natural fit for him to do a development.

“Anthony (Lautieri) was going to develop it; now we’re just going to carry it through,” Riggs said on Monday. “It conforms with what’s in Smiths Grove. We want to keep that Mayberry kind of feel.

“We just believe that not every growth is bad.”

But Riggs’ plan, which calls for houses of at least 1,200 square feet in a subdivision with sidewalks and underground utilities, isn’t universally welcomed.

Smiths Grove residents, such as Larry Shobe, who lives directly across Hedge Street from the proposed development, aren’t happy with the idea of adding more traffic to a narrow road.

“I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t like it (the subdivision),” Shobe said in May. “I expected changes with Buc-ee’s coming in. Growth is coming, but I’m not too happy about it.”

Riggs counters that the development will meet a pressing need for housing in a fast-growing county and that its close proximity to acreage that the Warren County Board of Education has earmarked for a future elementary school makes it a good fit.

“I like doing walkable communities,” Riggs said. “Kids will be able to walk to school in this development.”

The school, expected to replace the existing North Warren Elementary, would likely bring improvements to Hedge Street and upgrades to the utilities, but Warren County Public Schools Chief Financial Officer Chris McIntyre says construction of the school could be a few years away.

Likewise, building houses in Smiths Grove isn’t a top priority now for Riggs, who has other projects in the works and may even sell the Hedge Street property to another developer.

“If I’m developing it, it will be awhile because my hands are full with projects in Tennessee,” he said.

A delay would suit Smiths Grove Mayor David Stiffey, who said he and the city council must consider residents’ desires and weigh the pros and cons of possibly annexing the property that sits just outside city limits.

“It’s going to take a little work to make it acceptable to people,” the mayor said.

The same could be true of the proposed Plum Springs RV park.

Brown’s development plan calls for 33 RV sites and five cabins on the property. The application for the FLUM amendment said the campground would “provide another lodging option for visitors to Warren County and would be an advantageous use of this unique property.”

A number of residents living near the proposed development don’t agree.

Citing concerns about noise and compatibility with the nearby residential neighborhood, six residents spoke against the FLUM amendment. The zone change from light industrial, single-family residential and residential estate to highway business is almost certain to bring out similar opposition.

The July 18 planning commission meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the county courthouse.