Picture a buyer who closes on acreage in Arrington next year and later decides to split it into three lots. Under the draft Arrington Village district, that subdivision would require a five-foot sidewalk along the road frontage and a recorded 10-foot public-access easement. If the land backs onto Arrington Creek, the same split would require a 12-foot asphalt trail and a 15-foot creek-side easement. None of that appears in a per-acre price.
The Williamson County Regional Planning Commission is scheduled to take public comment on the proposal Thursday, Oct. 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the Williamson County Administrative Complex, 1320 W. Main St., Franklin. Most of the public debate has been about which businesses could or could not open at the crossroads. For anyone buying or holding land in this corner of the College Grove area, the bigger change is elsewhere. Residential density stays exactly where it is. The rules that change are the obligations attached to a parcel once its owner asks the county for something.
What a Parcel Owes Once It Needs an Approval
The draft text ties public-access requirements to specific actions. Owning a home under the new district would not trigger these rules by itself. They apply when one of the following happens:
- New nonresidential development requires a five-foot frontage sidewalk and a recorded 10-foot public-access easement.
- A subdivision of three or more lots carries the same sidewalk and easement requirement.
- New single-family construction next to existing or approved sidewalks can trigger the sidewalk requirement.
- An addition to a nonresidential building that expands it by more than 50% brings the frontage sidewalk into play.
- Any other property needing county approval must record a 10-foot frontage easement to allow for a future sidewalk, even where no sidewalk is built yet.
Parcels along Arrington Creek have a second set of rules. Qualifying subdivisions, new nonresidential development and nonresidential expansions over 50% would build a 12-foot asphalt trail inside a 15-foot access easement. Creek-side properties that need county approval but do not meet those triggers would still record a 15-foot easement for a future trail. The trail may run within the required landscape buffer.
The trail rule is the best illustration of the thesis. An easement recorded today for a trail that does not exist yet becomes a permanent feature of that parcel's title. When the next buyer reads the survey, it will show a public-access strip along the creek. Two parcels of similar size near the Hwy 96 crossroads can carry very different obligations depending on which side borders the creek and what the next owner plans to do with the land.
Same Homes Per Acre, Much Larger Commercial Buildings
The county's own side-by-side comparison of the current Hamlet district and the proposed Arrington Village district shows where the change falls.
| Standard | Current Hamlet (H) | Proposed Arrington Village (AV) |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional subdivision density | 2.0 units per acre | 2.0 units per acre |
| Conservation subdivision density | 1.2 units per acre | 1.2 units per acre |
| Maximum nonresidential building size | 5,000 to 15,000 sq ft, depending on parcel size | 25,000 sq ft on Murfreesboro Road frontage; 15,000 sq ft elsewhere |
| Height | Three stories, no design standards | Two stories on street-facing elevations, up to three on other elevations |
The proposed table also sets a half-acre minimum lot and a 40-foot minimum setback from Murfreesboro Road in all cases.
Density is the figure that drives residential land value, and it does not move. A buyer who hopes the rezoning will allow more homes per acre will find no added capacity in it. A buyer worried that it will open the area to more homes per acre will find the same limits as today.
The building-size row is the one that changes. On parcels fronting Murfreesboro Road, the maximum nonresidential building becomes 25,000 square feet. The current Hamlet range tops out at 15,000. For a residential buyer near that frontage, the practical question is what the largest permitted building next door could be, and the answer grows.
Why a Shorter Use List Came With a Larger Cap
The rezoning has a residential-friendly reputation for a reason. The county's comparison lists 13 uses allowed under Hamlet that would be dropped under Arrington Village:
- Apartments
- Cultural institutions
- Bars or taverns
- Golf courses
- Golf driving ranges
- Entertainment establishments
- Liquor stores
- Extensive retail sales and service
- Automotive and machinery repair
- General industrial services
- Light industrial services
- Warehouses
- Recycling and other drop-off centers
The same sheet lists uses that become newly allowed: congregate independent living and assisted living centers, family subdivisions, animal boarding facilities, animal hospitals or veterinary clinics with boarding, athletic facilities, and craft distilleries. Several of these, assisted living and athletic facilities in particular, tend to need large buildings. A larger cap paired with these uses is consistent with that.
The draft also controls what those larger buildings look like from the road. New parking must sit beside or behind a building and no closer to the street than its front façade, although parcels on Murfreesboro Road may put up to 25% of their parking in front. New buildings must face the street with an entrance on that façade. Buildings with footprints over 7,500 square feet may use a limited flat roof-well in the center, subject to pitched-roof rules.
Building size in Hamlet districts has been argued over before. The County Commission adopted a new zoning ordinance on May 14, 2012, effective Jan. 1, 2013, and its Hamlet district capped new commercial and industrial buildings at 5,000 square feet. Public objections led the County Commission to send staff back to re-examine that cap before the ordinance took effect. At the June 2012 public meetings, the most common answer in both the questionnaire and the sticky-dot exercise was a maximum of 25,001 square feet or more. The second most popular sticky-dot choice was the smallest category, 2,500 square feet or less. Countywide opinion on building size was split more than a decade before Arrington got a plan of its own. The current 5,000-to-15,000 range shows the cap was later loosened, and the Arrington draft would loosen it further on the main road.
The Arrington process started with the county's 2020 Comprehensive Land Use Plan, which named Arrington one of six villages and recommended a detailed plan for each. County staff and a Citizens Advisory Committee of residents, property owners, business owners and civic leaders held five public meetings beginning with a Feb. 15, 2024 kickoff. The Planning Commission adopted the Arrington Village Special Area Plan on March 20, 2025. It covers 37 parcels and about 325 acres. The zoning now on the table is how that plan would be put into effect.
Commissioner Baldree served on the advisory committee. At the Sept. 10 meeting she said the area "is not changing very much from the current zoning" and that current zoning "would allow for more of what you might not want to see in the area." Resident Cheryl Hughes attended input meetings in March and May 2024 and the April 2026 draft review. She told the commission that two homes per acre is too dense and that one per acre fits the plan better. Both comments point at the same fact. The draft leaves density at the existing level, so anyone hoping for a lower number has to argue for it as a separate change.
The Boundary Letters
The change also extends beyond the current Hamlet footprint. The new district would cover the entire study area, including parcels now zoned Rural Development-5. Owners of those RD-5 parcels would move into a district with a different set of rules.
At least one owner got mixed signals. Tom Pattermann told the commission on Sept. 10 that he had received two county letters about the rezoning. One said his property was inside the area, and the other said it was not. He also asked whether his Greenbelt status would change. Staff confirmed his parcel is inside the proposed area. The minutes record no answer on Greenbelt, and the draft sections reviewed here do not address it or how existing businesses would be treated.
For a buyer under contract in this area, the following steps help close those gaps:
- Confirm the parcel's current district and its proposed district against the county's existing and proposed zoning maps, which are Attachments 27-2 and 27-3 in the Oct. 8 packet.
- Note whether the parcel fronts Murfreesboro Road or borders Arrington Creek. Those two features decide the building cap and the trail obligation.
- Plan future steps such as a lot split, a barn conversion or a business expansion with the easement triggers in mind.
- Ask the Williamson County Planning Department directly about Greenbelt treatment and any existing use on the property.
Where the Process Stands This Week
The Sept. 10 hearing was deferred because a problem with the county email system kept residents' emails from reaching commissioners. The county posted notice of the Oct. 8 hearing on Sept. 24. Speakers must sign up before the meeting begins. Staff recommends approving the text and map amendments and sending a resolution to the County Commission. As of Oct. 5, the County Commission's agenda listings showed no vote date for the item. Until the full County Commission acts, the parcels in the study area remain under Hamlet or RD-5 rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Arrington Village district allow more homes per acre? No. Under the county's comparison, traditional subdivisions stay at 2.0 units per acre and conservation subdivisions at 1.2, matching current Hamlet zoning.
Would an existing homeowner have to build a sidewalk? The draft ties sidewalks to specific actions such as new nonresidential development, subdivisions of three or more lots, and qualifying construction. Other properties seeking county approval would record a frontage easement for a future sidewalk. The Planning Department can confirm how the rules apply to a specific property.
When was the community consulted? The plan records public workshops beginning in March 2024. The county presented the draft amendments to the Arrington community in April 2026 and has posted them on its website since then.
If you own or are considering a parcel inside the Arrington study area, Exceptional Living Group can walk through how its frontage, creek line and future plans line up with the proposed rules before you set a price or sign a contract. Request a Confidential Consultation.
