Board approves Ovation rezoning, development plan with conditions after debate over parking structure

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to approve rezoning and a revised development plan for the Ovation planned unit development at the southeast corner of East McEwen Drive and Carothers Parkway, and approved related impact‑fee and parkland agreements. The board approved the rezoning ordinance and the development resolution with modifications; the final comprehensive motion carrying the plan passed 6‑1. The board also approved a road impact fee offset agreement with Highwoods Properties not to exceed $8,550,000 and a parkland impact and construction agreement for Ovation unanimously.

Why it matters: Ovation is a large regional commerce project that the city and state have planned for years. Approval clears the way for phased construction of housing, office, retail and hotel space that city staff and applicants say will trigger major off‑site road improvements and generate long‑term tax revenue for Franklin and Williamson County.

Staff planner Chelsea summarized the proposal as a 103.93‑acre development proposing 1,525 multifamily dwelling units, 69 townhouses, 1,655,000 square feet of nonresidential space and 350 hotel rooms. Chelsea said the project includes a shared‑parking plan that reduces enclosed parking inside the Ovation loop by 2,339 spaces and that staff reviewed the traffic studies and the proposed off‑site improvements and agreed with the applicant’s mitigation.

A central point of debate was modification of standard (MOS) number 8, which would allow a parking structure parallel to Carruthers Parkway and McEwen Drive rather than screened by buildings as required in the zoning code. Chelsea told the board that “staff recommends disapproval of MOS number 8” because the request did not meet the zoning ordinance’s intent and lacked adequate exhibits showing the structure would not be visible from the right of way. The Franklin Municipal Planning Commission (FMPC) had recommended approval of MOS 8 with conditions for enhanced architectural detailing and landscaping.

Alderman Burger and others argued that the applicant had improved design and that an upfront garage could enable a regional transit stop, while Alderman Baggett and another alderman said they were concerned about a multi‑story garage visible from the arterial and its effect on the streetscape. After extended discussion the board approved MOS 8 by a 5‑2 vote with the FMPC conditions requiring architectural rhythm (base, middle, cap), at least three different façade treatments along the arterial (two facades if garage widths fall below 150 feet), a pedestrian access entry facing the arterial and foundation landscaping at the garage base.

Applicant Alec Chambers of Highwoods said the rezoning does not increase residential entitlements compared with existing district entitlements, disputing social‑media claims that the proposal would “triple” density. Chambers said: “Nothing could be farther from the truth,” and noted that the combined entitlements that currently exist would allow more units than the revised PUD’s 1,594 permitted residential units in the revised package.

Board members additionally adopted a staff‑suggested amendment that reduced the permitted height for Building V along Carruthers Parkway from the previously proposed taller range to a 5‑ to 8‑story cap; that amendment passed 5‑2. The broader motion adopting the plan with the agreed MOSs and the height amendment passed 6‑1. The board then approved the road impact fee offset agreement with Highwoods (not to exceed $8,550,000) and a parkland impact/ construction agreement for Ovation unanimously.

What the board directed and next steps: Staff said it will continue to coordinate with the applicant, the Federal Transit Administration and WeGo on transit planning for the corridor and will review final design and any administrative site revisions prior to one‑stop plan review. Chelsea noted that staff will require the developer to meet the parking requirements for uses outside the Ovation loop and that any changes to the site plan to relocate parking structures would require coordination with staff and administrative approval prior to building permits.

Discussion vs. formal actions: The board’s approval included multiple formal votes: the rezoning ordinance passed unanimously; the development plan with eight MOSs (and the subsequent MOS‑by‑MOS votes) and the final consolidated approval passed with votes recorded above; the impact‑fee contract and parkland agreements passed unanimously. Staff recommendations, FMPC votes, and public comments were part of the record and were distinguished from the board’s formal votes.

Public comment and dissent: Cleve Crowe and other public commenters raised traffic and design concerns; one nearby resident warned of potential gridlock if traffic mitigation proved insufficient. City staff and the applicant pointed to multiple traffic studies, third‑party reviewers and planned off‑site lane additions as mitigation.

Funding and fiscal estimates: Applicant materials and staff stated that full build‑out of Ovation is projected to generate approximately $13 million per year to the City of Franklin in sales, hotel and property taxes and roughly $10 million a year for the county primarily for schools; staff also estimated total city and school impact fees of roughly $56,000,000 at full build‑out.

Because the project will be built in phases, staff said phasing, final design, transit accommodations, and final engineering will be evaluated as each phase seeks permitting and one‑stop review.