On the east side of Franklin Road, just south of Moores Lane, one piece of the Branch Creek Crossing development has been planned three different ways. The original plan, approved in February 2015, put multifamily buildings on it. A later revision changed those buildings to office space. The current request removes the office and builds four multifamily buildings with 40 dwelling units, which city staff describe as "similar to what was originally approved."
Branch Creek Crossing was scheduled to go before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for the second of its three readings on Nov. 10, after a 7–0 vote on first reading in October, according to the meeting agenda published in the Williamson Herald. Over the same few weeks, some Franklin leaders were openly questioning how many more apartments the city needs. What Franklin builds is decided parcel by parcel, using a land-use map and approval dates that were set long before this fall's debate started.
For a buyer, that means the useful question about the land near a house is what the parcel's paperwork already allows, more than how the board feels about apartments this month.
The Mood: A Pipeline Close to the Size of the Existing Stock
At the Oct. 22 joint workshop of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Franklin Municipal Planning Commission, Ward 1 Alderman Bev Burger gave figures she called rough. She said Franklin has "over 12,000 multi-family rental units" and 9,307 more "in the pipeline, not built yet," according to the Tennessee Record's transcript of the meeting. She used those numbers to argue against approving standalone apartment buildings.
Later in the same workshop, someone asked how many multifamily units had been completed recently. The answer put 2026 completions at roughly 500 units, in the hundreds rather than the thousands, with a full development report expected in February or March.
If those figures hold even roughly, Franklin's unbuilt pipeline is about three-quarters the size of its existing rental stock. At something close to this year's completion pace, it would take well over a decade to work through. Most of the multifamily buildings a buyer could see rise near a Franklin home in the next several years are probably already somewhere in that queue. Votes on new requests this winter are a separate matter from plans already in that queue.
The Rule: Staff Asks What the Design Concept Says
The workshop also showed how the city screens new requests. The owner of 400 Old Peytonsville Road asked for a special consideration under Envision Franklin, the city's land-use plan. The change would allow single-use, standalone multifamily buildings up to six stories. No developer or development plan was attached. The owner wanted the change to prepare and market the property for a future proposal.
Planning staff did not support it, and they explained why in terms of the map:
"In Envision Franklin, the regional commerce design concept states multifamily residential should be vertically mixed with ground-floor commercial and upper-story residential."
Staff added that standalone multifamily buildings can be part of a master-planned development, but single-use multifamily "should be reserved for the multifamily residential design concept." They suggested the owner apply for that concept instead.
Staff's objection was not to apartments in general. It was to an apartment format the parcel's design concept doesn't call for, requested with no plan to evaluate.
Harpeth Village shows the same test producing a yes. The 20.33-acre site sits east of Franklin Road and north of Harpeth Industrial Court, at 318 Franklin Road and 1117, 1121 and 1123 Harpeth Industrial Court. The plan rezones it from Estate Residential and Light Industrial to a planned district with 187 multifamily units and 75,000 square feet of nonresidential space. Envision Franklin places it in the Factory District Design Concept, which is anchored by The Factory at Franklin, a landmark since 1929. The concept calls for extending the Factory's mix of uses into Harpeth Industrial Court, with plazas, outdoor dining and tree-lined streets. Staff concluded that the rezoning "meets the recommendations of Envision Franklin," and the Planning Commission recommended approval 6–0 with one recusal. The Planning Commission also recommended the development plan, with conditions. Its rezoning was scheduled for second reading on Nov. 10, alongside Branch Creek Crossing's.
Six Requests, One Autumn
Among this fall's multifamily items, the ones that fit their design concept or carry an earlier approval moved forward. The ones asking for an exception ran into resistance. Outcomes for Iron Horse, Huffines Ridge, Carothers Glen and 1221 Liberty Pike come from a meeting recap by Williamson County Commissioner Bill Petty.
| Project | What was asked | Basis | Status heading into December |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harpeth Village, 318 Franklin Road | 187 multifamily units, 75,000 sq ft nonresidential | Factory District concept | Staff and Planning Commission recommended approval; second of three readings Nov. 10 |
| Branch Creek Crossing, 574 and 580 Franklin Road | Office replaced by 40 units in 4 buildings | Plan first approved February 2015; vested under 2014 ordinance | Planning Commission 8–0; second of three readings Nov. 10 |
| Huffines Ridge | 54 for-sale condos added, 478 units total | Revised plan | Planning Commission approved with conditions |
| Iron Horse | Increase from 270 to 300 units | Rezoning and plan revision | Planning Commission recommended denial; goes to the Board |
| 400 Old Peytonsville Road | Standalone multifamily up to six stories | Exception to Regional Commerce concept | Staff opposed; returns to Planning Commission in December |
| 1221 Liberty Pike | Workforce housing, reduced to fewer than 100 units, three stories | Envision Franklin amendment | Mostly skeptical reactions; returns in December |
Petty's recap says the reactions to 1221 Liberty Pike centered on an adjacent electrical substation, site access and the number of apartments. It also notes the proposal had been scaled back from 180 units and four stories, with income limits below 80% of the county's mean income.
Old Approvals Keep Running on Their Own Schedule
Branch Creek Crossing shows how long an approval can last. Because its plan dates to 2015, the property is vested under the 2014 Zoning Ordinance, and staff measured the revision against that older code. The applicant asked to use one current rule, though. Parking would follow the January 2026 ordinance's 2.25 spaces per unit with two or more bedrooms, instead of the 2014 requirement of 2.5 spaces per two-bedroom unit and 3 per unit with three or more bedrooms. Staff supported the request.
Vesting dates can also be extended. At the Oct. 22 Planning Commission meeting, commissioners unanimously moved the vesting deadline for Carothers Glen, a 45-lot subdivision, from Dec. 9, 2026 to Dec. 9, 2027. Extensions like this one keep an approved plan's window open while it remains unbuilt. That helps explain how a city can hold a five-figure pipeline while completing only a few hundred units a year.
How vesting applies to a particular property is a legal question. This article is general information, not legal advice, and buyers with a specific parcel in mind should confirm its status with a real estate attorney and the City of Franklin Planning Department.
The Road Runs on a Separate Clock
Land-use approvals and road capacity are decided on separate schedules. On Oct. 27, city staff gave the Board three options for widening Franklin Road between Mack Hatcher Parkway and Mallory Station Road. Citizen Portal's account of the session describes them as an interim three-lane option at roughly $14 million, an enhanced three-lane hybrid, and a full five-lane build estimated at $22 million to $30 million. The five-lane option performed best in long-range traffic modeling. It would also require about 25 property acquisitions and substantial utility and sewer work, and it is not in TDOT's ten-year plan. FOX 17 reported that the Board asked for more information, including possible grant funding, and that no option or construction schedule had been chosen.
Branch Creek Crossing sits east of Franklin Road and south of Moores Lane, and Harpeth Village sits by The Factory. Both are on Franklin Road, and the road decision is moving separately from the zoning votes.
Reading the Parcels Around a Franklin Address
The same facts that shape the city's decisions are the ones a buyer can check before writing an offer:
- The design concept of nearby undeveloped parcels. A Regional Commerce site invites vertically mixed buildings. A Multifamily Residential site allows standalone apartments. The Factory District calls for mixed-use extension around The Factory.
- Whether a plan was approved years ago. Branch Creek Crossing's 2026 revision was reviewed under the 2014 Zoning Ordinance because its plan dates to 2015, as the city staff report explains.
- Vesting deadlines and extensions. Carothers Glen's window now runs to Dec. 9, 2027.
- The reading schedule. Rezonings take three readings, and the Nov. 10 agenda listed both Franklin Road rezonings as second readings.
- The December agenda. The Planning Commission does not meet in November. Its last meeting of 2026 falls on the second Thursday of December, which is Dec. 10, when 400 Old Peytonsville Road and 1221 Liberty Pike return.
Staff reports for each item are posted on the City of Franklin's CivicClerk portal, with the applicant, acreage, vote counts and the governing ordinance listed in plain text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Franklin stopping new apartment approvals? No vote has set a citywide policy. Staff opposed the 400 Old Peytonsville request because it did not fit its design concept, while recommending Harpeth Village, which fits the Factory District concept.
Are the Harpeth Village and Branch Creek Crossing homes for sale or for rent? The city's staff reports describe both as multifamily without saying whether the units are rentals or for sale, and they list no prices.
When will Franklin Road be widened between Mack Hatcher Parkway and Mallory Station Road? As of FOX 17's Oct. 29 report, the Board had chosen none of the three options and had set no construction schedule.
If you are weighing a Franklin home near land that hasn't been built on yet, Exceptional Living Group can help you pull the staff reports, approval history and upcoming agenda items for the surrounding parcels before you commit. Request a Confidential Consultation.
