The Franklin Municipal Planning Commission on July 24 recommended that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approve a rezoning and revised development plan for the Ovation planned-unit development at the southeast corner of East McEwen Drive and Carruthers Parkway.

The commission approved eight modification-of-standard requests in stages, including material choices, block-length flexibility and limited retaining-wall exceptions; it approved a request that would allow parking structures parallel to McEwen Drive and Carothers Parkway only with conditions related to pedestrian activation, transit accommodation and enhanced architectural treatment.

Why it matters: Ovation is a large, multi-phase mixed-use project in the Envision Franklin regional commerce designation. The project’s layout, building heights and parking strategy affect traffic patterns on a key regional corridor and could influence future transit investments, including a potential park-and-ride or coach stop.

Staff presentation and project scope
Chelsea, a planner with the City of Franklin Planning Department, described the Ovation submission as a 103.93-acre development proposing 1,594 multifamily units, 69 townhomes, up to 1,655,000 square feet of nonresidential space and 350 hotel rooms. Staff said a shared parking study was submitted that reduces parking demand within the Ovation Parkway loop and that the traffic impact analysis generally supports the applicant’s proposed off-site roadway improvements.

Applicant overview and site approach
Alec Chambers, market leader for Highwoods, and Greg Gamble, representing Highwoods and CenterCal, presented the applicant’s revised master plan. Gamble said the project is not vested (unlike a nearby project) but remains an approved PUD that can still be developed under its existing approvals. He said the revised plan integrates office and commercial uses into a more mixed master plan rather than a single-office block and that the revised plan stays within the parameters of the original 2014 traffic study.

Design features and open space
Gamble described a two-acre central park, ground-floor retail, rooftop dining and a planned 29-acre mountain-bike park and an 11-acre created wetland with boardwalks and educational signage. He noted limits the applicant voluntarily placed on building heights for particular corner buildings and said the developer capped total office square footage for the campus.

Key modification requests and commission action
• Block length (MOS 1): The applicant asked to allow a block perimeter up to 3,600 linear feet around a wetlands/stormwater area. Staff recommended approval; the commission approved.

• Townhouse roof type (MOS 2): Staff supported a request to allow flat roofs with parapets for townhome building types; the commission approved unanimously.

• Storefront transoms/knee walls (MOS 3): The applicant sought flexibility to allow some retail storefronts without transom windows or knee walls. Staff recommended disapproval citing facade-composition standards; the commission ultimately approved a revised motion that removed a strict 50 percent monitoring metric and approved the modification with conditions.

• Materials (MOS 4 and 5): The applicant requested permission to use architectural precast concrete as one of up to three primary facade materials for large office and commercial/mixed-use buildings. Planning staff asked for more detail and examples; the commission approved the requests after discussion that included a presentation on architectural precast and assurances about quality treatment.

• Retaining walls (MOS 6 and 7): Staff recommended and the commission approved removal of required plantings at the base of one retaining wall because an established riparian buffer already provides screening. Commissioners also approved a limited increase for one short retaining-wall segment (up to 22 feet) behind Building J while removing a separate request for a 16-foot wall adjacent to Brookmeadow Lane from consideration.

• Parking-structure siting (MOS 8): The applicant asked to place parking structures parallel to Carothers Parkway and McEwen Drive rather than screening them behind buildings. Staff recommended disapproval unless conditions were met that would provide clear public benefits; the commission approved placement subject to conditions the applicant offered. Those conditions include elevated architectural detailing, base/middle/cap facade composition, pedestrian access and a first-floor activation strategy if the structure supports a regional transit stop or park-and-ride. Commissioners discussed ongoing talks with regional transit provider WeGo and Franklin Transit about a potential park-and-ride; the applicant and staff described those conversations as encouraging but preliminary.

Transit, funding and public benefit discussion
Commissioners and applicants discussed the potential for future transit accommodations to justify parking-structure placement along the arterial streets. Alec Chambers and Greg Gamble said Highwoods and CenterCal have met with local and regional transit providers; the parties noted recent regional funding developments that could make a future park-and-ride or coach stop feasible. Chuck Ganaway of Hastings Architecture presented examples of architectural precast and emphasized its durability and design flexibility.

Votes and next steps
The commission recommended approval of the Ovation rezoning (Ordinance 2025-20) to BOMA and approved the development-plan resolution (Resolution 2025-52) with conditions. Staff and the applicant noted that parkland agreements and final design exhibits will accompany the package when it goes to the BOMA work session.

Ending note
Commissioners repeatedly said they were supportive of exploring regional transit accommodations, but several also urged that any variance from ordinary screening rules for parking structures include firm design and activation commitments to ensure the structures contribute positively to the streetscape rather than becoming unmasked parking slabs.