Planning Commission - workshop

I call this meeting to order. This is the September 24th, 2026 meeting of the Franklin Planning Commission and Board and Mayor and Aldermen. We'll begin with roll call. Commissioner Harrison is absent. Commissioner Allen. Commissioner Franks, absent. Commissioner Lindsey. Commissioner Orr is here. Commissioner Mann is absent. Commissioner McLemore.

Okay. He's currently absent then. All right. If anybody shows up, we'll acknowledge that. We'll begin with item number one. This is discussion of a development plan revision proposing an additional 4.15 acres, an additional 54 multifamily units, a two modification of standards, parking and cross access on 26.85 acres at the intersection of Huffines Ridge Drive and Liberty Pike. Huffines Ridge, staff.

Thank you. All right. Thank you. Any comments, questions from the board, the commission? Anyone?

Sure. I'll comment for the interconnectivity. It looks like there's some grade challenges there. And that was my first thing before you had even gotten to that presentation. I'm like, yeah, but getting on Liberty, that's a game of Frogger. It's a very, very... Busy road, but yeah what you're saying and I see that too if you go up Huffings Ridge Drive And then you can get straight out to that light and have a stress-free Way to get out so I see that you know just as an equal opportunity as if that Easement were connected because you'd still have to wind through Part of that development, so yeah

Just a clarification, the water line that you mentioned, is that the same one that there was an issue in one of the other connections where it was a primary feed to everything to the south?

Okay. And the fiber, is that just local fiber or is that a main feed from here to Nashville as well?

All right. I'd also like to acknowledge Alderman Ponce and Mayor Moore have joined the meeting.

Staff question. What is the connectivity that... that staff is recommending that the project is not wanting to, because I obviously missed that in Greg's presentation.

So you already know where I'm going with that, Greg. You said on this commission with me, and you guys know I'm going to go back to where I was when I had fire codes and police before, and I'm going to say that, and I'm going to say this here. Whenever there is a chance for connectivity, I'm always going to be for that because it's not just for, and I know you're saying there's only 54 and all that, but for future, not just for this project, but for future. And we all know how that goes. And whenever we have the chance, it is just not for traffic abatement. It is also for safety of not just re

I understand that. And sometimes that's just the cost of doing business. Believe me, I do understand. And I'm not trying to be cold or callous, but that's it. But that's also then when we have a flood or when we have any kind of natural disaster or whatever, or anything going on. And it's also good for traffic, too, though. I'm not downplaying traffic, too. But it's also a safety concern. And it's also not just for this development. It's when the next one comes along, and the next one comes along. And we're only adding 12. We're only adding five or whatever. But it's a great planning tool, too

Yeah. And it's one thing that makes these a little different. Both developments that will be connected by this already have two access points to a main road. You know, if one of them had one and you needed to cross-connection for another area of public safety or an egress out, I could understand that desire to have the vehicular cross-connection a little more than what I really do now because, like I said, each one already has two primary points where either pedestrians can get in or out and fire and safety can get in or out. So we need to consider that too.

Anybody else have any thoughts or comments on this item? All right. Thank you. Thank you. Item number two, discussion of a development plan revision proposing 30 additional multifamily units and three modification of standard parking planning strip on 19.8 acres located at the intersection of Mack Hatcher Parkway and Franklin Road at 145 Legends Club Lane. This is Iron Horse PUD. Staff?

All right. Thank you. All right. Any comments from Alderman or Commission?

On this new building, first of all, that means that the parking garage there is going to be torn down, right?

And so what about the people who are parking there now?

Because it definitely, there is that slot there where it's just garages. That's right. And a lot of people, of course, are using them. And so I understand that that's one of the problems.

And as I recall, but I didn't drive back out there in the last day or two, but the other parking areas are kind of out on the edge too, though, aren't they?

Just goes to Legends Club. I mean, Legends Club Lane really only goes to the Legends Club. Right. There. Nothing else. In the room that was here,

Any other comments? Yeah, that's a, go ahead.

Parking would also be on the entrance, is that right?

Okay. Anyone else? No? I appreciate the mayor reminding us of the heartache when this development was approved 20 years ago. I feel pretty confident no one at planning voted for it. But it's there. It's there now. I guess the one thought that I have is The new buildings will definitely take parking places that are convenient to existing residents. That would be a big change for them around the building, not so much for anybody else. So that's a little concerning. And then staff had brought up some objectives that don't seem to be resolved yet just of getting it approved. Any additional comment

Chair, I would ask, modification of standards.

The staff did not, did I miss it? Did staff address these modification of standards on the parallel parking and the perpendicular parking? I didn't hear any.

All right, anyone else have any thoughts on this item? None? We'll move on to the next one. Item number three, discussion of Murfreesboro Road corridor study. FOMA FNPC survey and interview feedback. And for this one, let's let Eric complete his presentation, and then if we have any questions that come up during that, we'll handle those at the end.

Chair, if I might, just to kind of do a general. I'm kind of like, can we stop the world for just two seconds and hold on? You just gave us a lot, and I really appreciate staff and the four or five aldermen that were interviewed and Commissioner Mann that was interviewed. But if we could, like, take a deep breath. I'm looking here at the likely outcome steps needed to achieve vision. Could the planning commission have five or ten minutes to digest this, go home and look at all this before we have this workshop and come back and change Envision Franklin and change Connect? Could we have some ti

But if we live and make it to January, there's some months coming up in 2027, too. This is not going to—I mean, I understand, but whoa, what's so—you understand what I'm saying? This just came up, and if we live to 2027, eh. I'm just saying what's the fire behind this? What money are we going to miss?

I'd love it. I just don't want us to get this wrong because somebody's in a hurry.

Yeah, a lot of that, what you just said, Marcia, I would agree. Because the first thing I was thinking is like, okay, you know, the feedback with this study is great. It's brought up a ton, and I'm so happy we're talking about it. But it would be great to have that discussion with lots of voices in it because with anybody, if you're, say, talking with one-on-one, it's a very kind of more isolated of your own thoughts with the other person. You get more people in there, and we want to do it justice. And what I'd hate to see is we kind of get something generic in here and start making it look li

Any other thoughts on this one? Sounds like as a consensus, we'd like to get our hands around it. More internal, external comments and group meetings, public and private. All right. Very good. Thanks, everyone. Item number four, discussion of the preservation plan update. Staff.

All right. Thank you. How many comments, thoughts on what you've heard? Anyone? Looks pretty good and pretty thorough to me. All right. Thank you.

And I'll nitpick you a little bit here. The one thing that I would say to you, and great job, by the way, I was looking through, and this is something that in your listing of going through, under the National Register of Historic Places, when you do the Natchez Street Historic District, something that was left out that's near and dear to me is you don't mention Natchez High School. My parents graduate. My parents went to Natchez High School. That was the county's only black high school. And it just, it was left out. Probably not to you, but just something that really. No, we'd love to make any

Because when we're dead and gone, nobody will ever know. All right, thanks.

Anyone else? I'm curious about the participation of the...

All right, good. Anything else? No? All right. We can be done now. Thanks. Appreciate it. And we are adjourned. Oh, unless there's any other business. All right, good. We're adjourned then.