The Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously approved a development plan for The Preserve at Sheridan during its regular meeting on Tuesday.
The plan’s approval paves the way for the 16-lot neighborhood to be built along South Berrys Chapel Road. The development proposal had caused ire among nearby residents due to potential traffic congestion and damage to the area’s environment and aesthetic.
BOMA also deferred discussion on city road impact fees until the fall, and scheduled a public hearing for the fiscal 2025 budget for June.
Preserve at Sheridan a go
The development plan included two amendments removing requirements for an access lane at Echo Road and streetlights, sidewalks and multi-use paths along South Berrys Chapel Road. A third amendment requires two of the 16 lots to have their houses facing Rolling Rock Drive instead of South Berrys Chapel Road to ease traffic along the latter.
BOMA voted unanimously to annex almost 36 acres of land west of Franklin Road and south of South Berrys Chapel Road into the city limits and zone more than 56 acres Planned District. Members also unanimously approved a plan of services for the annexed area, including sanitation and public safety.
BOMA also voted 6-1 to approve a Modification of Standard that removed two access points on the neighborhood’s eastern side. Alderman Beverly Burger voted against the MOS.
Multiple residents of the area said during the public comment period that they were satisfied with the final plan, with Andrea Larks saying they “worked constructively” with the developer.
David Blackburn, who owns the land in question, said the development represents his children’s inheritance, and that the neighborhood’s name is a tribute to Sheridan Road in east Nashville, where he grew up.
“I’m a born and raised Nashvillian,” he said. “I grew up in an 800-square-foot house near Stratford High School. I was a busboy at Bonanza.”
Burger, Vice Mayor Matt Brown and Aldermen Greg Caesar, Patrick Baggett, Brandy Blanton, Ann Petersen and Clyde Barnhill voted to approve the development plan. Alderman Jason Potts was absent from Monday’s meeting.
Road impact fee deferral
BOMA also voted unanimously to defer discussion on raising the city’s road impact fees until its Sept. 10 meeting.
The decision came after hearing from area developers who requested the deferral, claiming the proposed rate hike that was set to take effect on July 1, combined with inflation and high interest rates, would create an unsustainable financial burden for some of them.
Under the proposed plan, fees for the construction of a sit-in restaurant would nearly double from $20,255 to $40,229, according to a chart presented during BOMA’s Feb. 13 work session.
The proposed plan would also lay out specific fees for single-family homes depending on each home’s size, instead of a flat fee of $8,251 per home under the current fee schedule, per the chart.
Rachel Blackhurst of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties said an average mixed-use development would cost its developer $17 million in road impact fees if the hike takes effect, up from about $11 million now.
She also asked BOMA to examine how an April Supreme Court case concerning impact fees would affect the city. The Sheetz v. El Dorado County decision mandates municipalities that require impact fees to explain how the development in question will serve the public interest and whether the fees being levied are appropriate.
“I’m not going to get up here and say development will grind to a halt,” Blackhurst said. “But we think it will winnow out who’s able to develop in Franklin.”
Burger moved to delay the discussion until January, but BOMA voted to move it to September instead.
Brown said that with no money coming from the Tennessee Department of Transportation next fiscal year, funds for road projects need to come from either developers or taxpayers. Baggett agreed, saying the decision will be a tough but necessary one.
“We can’t just punt this down the road,” Baggett said. “Thank you for developing our community, but we’ve got to build a road network.”
Budget hearing June 11
BOMA also voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on the proposed fiscal 2025 budget during its June 11 meeting.
The budget proposal totals almost $227 million overall and $112.2 million in the general fund. The city’s property tax rate would remain unchanged at 32.6 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Monday’s meeting opened with the presentation of colors and Pledge of Allegiance by members of Franklin High School’s JROTC program.
