The developers of a workforce housing project on Liberty Pike have cut their plan by more than half, and Franklin leaders got their first look at the smaller version last Thursday. The plan came up at a joint workshop of Franklin, Tennessee's Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Franklin Municipal Planning Commission, FOX 17 News reported.
No votes were taken. It was a work session, held before the project formally asks for any approvals.
A smaller plan for 1221 Liberty Pike
The project at 1221 Liberty Pike is aimed at households earning below 80% of Williamson County's area median income. It was first pitched at 180 units. The development team said it is now looking at a version with about 70 units, paid for with bonds and tax credits, and three stories instead of four. The team also talked about working with the Franklin Housing Authority.
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"This is targeted specifically toward workforce housing, meeting the needs of allowing folks to live in proximity to their work," Jeff Hines of Catalyst Design Group told city leaders.
Hines said the smaller plan could help with concerns city staff had already raised about sewer capacity and emergency access. Planning staff said the fire department wanted two entrances under the original plan. Hines said going below 100 units could change that requirement, and another city leader asked the team to confirm it.
The substation question
Alderman Beverly Burger came out firmly against the site, which sits near an electrical substation. "What is right is to say no, no, no, and no," Burger said. She said she walked the property and the nearby neighborhoods, and questioned how a multistory building would sit next to homes on bigger lots.
When asked, staff said Franklin has no rule setting how close homes can be to a substation, and the developers said the plan meets the city's current buffer requirements. Leaders also floated other uses for the land, including a transit center.
Not everyone was opposed. "We really do need more workforce housing," another official said, and suggested an ownership-style project might fit better.
The apartment count behind the debate
Burger's objection was part of a broader argument about apartments. "We are very, very much saturated on the east side of I-65 with apartments," she told FOX 17 in a second report. She asked staff how many apartments in the Berry Farms area are built and how many are approved but not yet built.
Franklin's 2025 Development Report counts 9,307 approved multifamily units, about 70.5% of all approved homes in the city. Not all of them will be built soon. Some approvals are years old, and plans can change or stall.
What's next
The developers held a neighborhood meeting on October 6, and staff said residents came away with unanswered questions. The city also got five emailed comments against the plan. A second neighborhood meeting is tentatively set for November 12 at Columbia State Community College.
To build, the project needs a change to Envision Franklin, the city's long-range land-use plan, to allow standalone multifamily housing on the site, plus zoning and development plan approvals.
Sources
- Franklin workforce housing proposal sparks debate over affordability, safety and location, FOX 17 News
- Too many apartments in Franklin? Alderman raises concerns, FOX 17 News
- 2025 Development Report, City of Franklin
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