Board approves Erickson Senior Living PUD, authorizes fee agreements and five zoning modifications

The Franklin City Board of Mayor and Aldermen on April 8 unanimously approved rezoning and a development plan for Erickson Senior Living, a gated, age-restricted campus that will include about 1,250 residential dwelling units and 172,000 square feet of continuum-of-care commercial space.

The action implements Ordinance 2024-43 (rezoning) and Resolution 2024-96 (development plan) and includes approval of five requested modification of standards (MOS) and two related city contracts: City of Franklin Contract 2025-0026 (parkland impact fee and construction agreement) and City of Franklin Contract 2025-0048 (road impact fee offset, not to exceed $5,871,648.61).

City planning staff presented the project and said the property is located east of Peytonsville Road and falls within the regional commerce design concept of the city’s Envision Franklin plan. The development plan proposes a campus designed to serve older adults, with internal amenities and a mix of housing and care facilities. Staff recommended approval of the rezoning (Ordinance 2024-43) and recommended the development plan with conditions, while recommending disapproval of one MOS (maximum block length). Planning Commission recommended approval of the plan and all MOS requests.

Greg Gamble, representing Erickson, told the board that the campus design relies on internal, climate-controlled corridors and interconnected exterior walkways to provide pedestrian circulation for residents. “The pedestrian connectivity is not compromised because we have larger block links,” Gamble said, arguing that the campus design meets the ordinance’s connectivity intent in a different form. He also described the site as secured and gated, saying, “Everything within the campus then is going to be gated, secured.”

The five MOS requests and board rulings were: MOS 1 (allow loading areas at building sides) — approved; MOS 2 (increase maximum block length to 6,200 linear feet) — approved by the board despite staff’s recommendation of disapproval; MOS 3 (allow finished floor elevation at ground level) — approved; MOS 4 (remove the required eastern external connection) — approved with a planning-commission amendment; and MOS 5 (reduce multifamily parking requirement from 1.5 spaces per unit to 1.2 spaces per unit) — approved. The board’s votes on MOS items and on the overall development plan were unanimous.

Board members discussed MOS 2 at length. Staff noted that Section 9.5.0.2.c of the zoning ordinance establishes maximum block lengths of 2,400 linear feet (and up to 3,200 feet in limited approvals) and said Erickson’s requested 6,200 feet substantially exceeds those limits. Gamble said internal air‑conditioned corridors and campus walkways provide the circulation intended by the ordinance for the senior population. The board also approved an amendment to the plan’s condition of approval stating that the plan may be altered “unless otherwise modified by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen,” reflecting a planning commission change acknowledging future BOMA discretion.

On connectivity, staff and the applicant explained that a private north–south drive on Erickson property will be constructed with a public access easement and that future local streets (shown on the major thoroughfare plan) will provide connections as surrounding parcels develop. Staff required the applicant to include an exhibit in the off‑site road agreement showing final design requirements for Peytonsville Road; the planning commission altered the condition to permit future BOMA modification of that requirement.

After approving the rezoning and development plan, the board approved the related contracts. Contract 2025-0026 covers the parkland impact fee and construction agreement; the contract amount specific to the fee was not stated in the meeting record. Contract 2025-0048 authorizes a road impact fee offset for Erickson not to exceed $5,871,648.61.

The board voted on each motion by roll call. The recorded vote on the development plan and related MOS and contracts was: Alderman Barnhill — yes; Alderman Blanton — yes; Alderman Caesar — yes; Alderman Peterson — yes; Alderman Burger — yes; Alderman Brown — yes; Vice Mayor Potts — yes; Alderman Baggett — yes. All motions related to Erickson passed unanimously.

Why it matters: Erickson’s campus will add a large, age‑restricted residential complex and continuum‑of‑care space in a regional commerce corridor, trigger multi‑million‑dollar impact‑fee offsets and modify local development‑standard applications for senior‑oriented design. The approvals include conditions and exhibits meant to guide off‑site road design and future connectivity as surrounding parcels develop.

The development will proceed to site‑plan and construction stages where design details, public art commitments and final off‑site road agreements will be worked out per the approved plan conditions.