Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

We'll call this meeting to order. This is the September 24th, 2026 meeting of the Franklin Municipal Planning Commission. We'll begin with roll call. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Franks? Present. Commissioner Lindsay? Commissioner Orr is present. Present. Commissioner Mann? Present. Commissioner McLemore?

Let's begin. This portion of the meeting is for citizen comments. This is open for citizens to be heard on any issue or concern. If you would like to speak on a specific item on the agenda, please wait until that item comes up in the citizen comment period for it. For all citizen comments, please fill out the speaker card and hand it to staff. Come up to the microphone and state your name and address and limit your comments to two minutes. Is there anyone that would like to speak on an item that's not on our agenda tonight? Seeing none. Item number one is the consideration of approval of the A

I have a proper motion and second. Any edits or? Anything anybody want to do with this minutes? All right. We'll vote. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsay? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

All right. The ayes have it. The minutes are approved. Staff, any announcements?

All right. Item number two, consent agenda. Consideration of approval of items three through 24 and 27 and 28 will be on the consent agenda. Do I have a motion?

All right. I have a proper motion and second. Does anyone like to pull an item from this? Seeing none, we'll proceed and vote. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsay? Aye. Commissioner Moore votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

The ayes have it. The consent agenda is approved. Item number 25, consideration of ordinance 2026-24, an ordinance to rezone 19.11 acres from planned PD 96,536 district to plan PD 2.09 slash 40,536 district for the property located east of Franklin Road and south of Moores Lane. And this is the Branch Creek Crossing PUD. Staff?

Thank you. Does anyone from the public like to comment on this item? All right. Seeing none, do we have an applicant?

All right. Thank you. Do I have a motion on this item?

All right. Proper motion is second. Any discussion? Anyone? All right. Seeing none, we'll proceed to vote. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsey? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner Macklemore?

Alderman Peterson? Yes. All right, the ayes have it. This item passes. Item number 26, consideration of resolution 2026-79, a resolution approving a revised development plan for Branch Creek. PUD subdivision with two modification of development standards, parking and architecture for the property located east of Franklin Road and south of Moore's Lane, located at 574 and 580 Franklin Road. Staff? Thank you.

Is there anyone from the public like to comment on this item? All right. Seeing none, do we have an applicant?

All right. Thank you. Do I have a motion on this item?

And that's approval to the Board and Mayor and Alderman. All right. I have a proper motion and second. Let's proceed on to MOS number three, which is request to use current parking requirements per section 10.2.3 of the 1-13-2026 zoning ordinance for 2.25 spaces per two plus bedroom unit for multifamily buildings. And staff does recommend approval of that. Do I have a motion from anyone?

All right. Proper motion and second for that to be approved. Any discussion? All right, seeing none, we'll proceed to vote. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Aye. Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsey? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

All right, the ayes have it. MOS number three is approved. We'll look at MOS number four, which is a request to allow one of the listed architectural attributes per section 5.5.3, 3B7 of the 2014 zoning ordinance. And staff recommends approval of that one as well. Do I have a motion?

All right. Proper motion is second. Any discussion on this one? Nobody has thoughts on architectural features?

All right. Very good. Let's proceed to vote on this item. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsay? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

All right, the ayes have it. MOS number four is approved. Let's go back to them.

All right. Now we're back to the main motion. Since the applicant requested swapping out some architectural elements and looks, is that something we can have the person who made the motion add those in or do we need to amend it?

All right. Would anybody like to amend the main motion to okay the applicant changing out their architectural look of those buildings? I'd like the motion to approve the amendment to change out the architectural to the newest exhibits that we have. Okay. All right. Have a proper motion and second. Does anybody like to discuss that amendment? No? We'll proceed to vote then. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsay? Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

All right. That amendment is approved. We can go to the main motion, which has modification of standard number three and that amendment we just discussed. Is there any additional discussion over this item? All right. Seeing none, we'll proceed to vote. And Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen?

Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsay? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

The ayes have it. Item number 26 is approved, including the two modifications of standards and amendment. All right, item number 29, ordinance 2026-18, an ordinance to amend various chapters of the Franklin Zoning Ordinance as part of an annual update, including overlay districts, First Avenue District, use regulations, building types, parking and transit signs, procedures, and performance agreements, and to amend the zoning map for certain properties owned or near Columbia Avenue, north of Granbury Street, Dyke Bennett Road, First Avenue North, Long Lane, North Margin Street, Painesville Road

And a public comment period. All right. Thanks, staff. Does anyone from the public like to comment on this item? I have one card submitted. Luke Beecham.

Thank you. Does anyone else from the public like to speak on this item? Please come forward. State your name and address.

I didn't get it. All right. Anyone else from the public like to speak on this item? All right. I guess staff is the applicant. Any additional words of wisdom before we get into voting? Potentially removing pieces?

Well, I guess that's kind of where, and I'll say this, I kind of have a, the whole process that we just went through, I have a concern about. We have looked at this three, four, five months now, and to get it, for them to have a workshop on this, and they come to us with all this extra stuff in here, it's really concerning me, especially on the building heights. When we sit here with them, and we had this, and there were two or three Alderman here, and we discussed that one and a half, difference between one and a half, one story, one and a half, and you guys, them to send it back to us with s

Okay. Because I'm just seeing a lot of amendments in here. I'm like, if we're getting this with amendments, do we not send it to them and then they have a workshop in all of these? It's just I'm seeing, I'm looking at this like I'm seeing some things like it seems like almost for the first time. We've looked at this thing three or four times. Some of these things are brand new, especially like when we're looking at even the commercial recreation building standards and I'm looking at this glazing and all of those. Some of these things I'm looking like, when Jimmy and I were looking at that, tha

That one-and-a-half story stuff, last month we didn't have all that on that one-and-a-half story. Some of that stuff was Greek to me.

Would it be cleaner for us to approve it and let BOMA carve out the pieces, or do we need to carve out the pieces now and send it forward?

Okay. So can I get a motion on this item?

So I need a second so we can get into discussion. All right. Have a proper motion and second for approval recommendation to BOMA discussion. Alderman Peterson.

I have some, I move to revise the amendment to gas station roofs so that all gas stations continue to have pitched roofs with the exception of the light industrial district to allow for flat roofs.

I'll second. So a quick discussion. So all gas stations now have to have pitched roofs, except for in line industrial.

So now we're going to allow line industrial to have flat.

Okay. I have a proper amendment considered and seconded. Is there any discussion on that amendment? It would be Amendment 1. All right. Let's vote on Amendment 1. And this is gas station roofs, flat roofs being allowed in the light industrial district. And was there another district that could be allowed as well, just light industrial? Just light industrial. All right. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Aye. Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsay? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

Alderman Peterson? Yes. All right, the ayes have it. Amendment number one passes. Alderman Peterson?

Yes. I move to revise the proposed amendment for data centers to double the spatial buffer from residential lots from what is proposed to be 1,320 feet to 2,640 feet. That would mean from a quarter of a mile to a half a mile.

Does anybody like to second? I second that. All right. Then... Do you have for discussion? Yes. So just to add on that, I know staff recommends, I guess, not supporting that. But I know that that severely restricts the amount of space that a data center can go on. But I think that's pretty coveted warehouse space in the city of Franklin. And I think that would be much better to be used and reserved for true warehouse as opposed to data centers. And so I support the full half mile for that reason. Okay.

to legal, we should always say why we vote against staff, and I am going to, this is one of the few times that I will vote against staff, and I agree exactly what Commissioner Mann said. There are lots of other reasons, but I'll just stick with that for now. All right.

But this is to keep it to be that it shall not be located within 2,640 feet of property line of the residential lot.

Any additional discussion on Amendment 2? All right. And this is to adjust the distance from residential lots from 1,320 feet to 2,640 feet for data centers. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsay? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore? Commissioner Williamson? Aye. Alderman Peterson. All right. The ayes have it. Amendment number two passes.

Okay. And I'd like to revise the proposal for shipping containers to also allow them in the side yard in addition to the rear yard whenever the criteria are met as well, but that would mean that it's screened. I mean, that's the last part I'm just saying. Okay.

So, in other words, they could be located in the side or rear yard, again, if they're screened. Okay.

Yes, I did. So is it being screened? Is that part of your amendment? Yes, it is. Okay. So we discussed this twice. We discussed it at the last one. At the last one, we said behind. I kind of had a problem with it being behind because that was actually a change. The side, I think we're beginning to push it now, to be honest with you, because we're talking about driving lanes. And so now we're blocking up. We're already putting it behind. We're blocking up at a potential driving lane. And now we're going to go to the side. And so on this, I'm drawing the line on that. Now we're getting a little

Any other discussion? All right. Let's proceed to vote on Amendment 3, which would allow shipping containers to be placed in side yards if the side yards are suited for a shipping container.

I have a question for staff. So compared to our fencing ordinance, If somebody put a shipping container, would they then screen it with a fence? Would they then still also comply with the fencing ordinance? I don't know how the shipping containers are. I guess what I'm asking, can they practically comply with both?

So I don't know how tall the shipping containers are. You can walk in one standing up, but barely. Okay. So, I mean, a screen would need to be 8 feet tall.

Yeah. I get my point being is I think it's going to be really hard to practically comply with the screening requirement, even if it's a fence. I'll just leave that on the table for discussion, but I just wanted to flag that. I'm ready to vote. It kind of just occurred to me. We'll see how it shakes out.

All right, we have a proper... Motion for Amendment 3 and a second. Is there any additional discussion? Are we ready to vote on this one? All right. Let's proceed to vote. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen?

Commissioner Lindsey? Yes. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? No. Commissioner McLemore?

All right, the yeses have it. Amendment 3 passes. All right.

I move to remove the property address as 4488 Paytonsville Road from the HHO district. I will second that.

Would you like to add 4460 based on the additional comment? Sure.

It goes through as is. It can always be revised at another time when more information is available.

Okay, did you complete your amendment number four? And would anybody like to second that amendment by removing 4488 Paytonville Road from that?

So we have a proper motion and second. Any discussion on this one?

All right. Let's proceed to vote on amendment number four. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen?

Commissioner Orr? Votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

All right. Amendment 4 passes. Now we are back into the main motion. Any additional discussion on what we've seen, heard, witnessed tonight for this item? No?

Okay. Let's vote on the main motion for item 29, seeing we've had plenty of discussion on this item. The motion was to recommend approval to BOMA, had a proper second. We have approved four amendments that accompany this item, and we'll begin with the vote. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsay? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

All right, the ayes have it. Item 29 passes as amended. Item number 30, ordinance 2026-22, an ordinance to amend the Franklin zoning text regarding materials. The proposed ordinance requires certain materials to be restricted in the construction of buildings.

All right. Anybody from the public like to comment on this one? All right, seeing none, do I have a motion?

All right. Proper motion and second. Discussion? Anybody want to talk about glazing and architectural features? No? Seeing none, I'll proceed to vote. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Franks? Aye. Commissioner Lindsay? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore?

All right. The ayes have it. Item number 30 passes. Is there any additional business? All right. Seeing none, can I get a motion to adjourn?

All right. Proper motion is second. We'll proceed to vote on the adjournment. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen? Commissioner Lindsay? Aye. Commissioner Orr votes aye. Commissioner Mann? Yes. Commissioner McLemore? Alderman Peterson? Yes. Ayes have it. We are adjourned.