Architects, engineers tell Franklin City commission O'Reilly site plan will screen dumpster and produce limited traffic

At a Franklin City Planning Commission meeting, project architects and engineers described mitigation measures for a proposed O'Reilly Auto Parts store, saying the site plan includes a masonry-enclosed dumpster behind the building, a six-foot wood fence along the west property line and landscaping to screen neighbors.

Tom Lundberg, of the architects' office, said the dumpster will sit “right behind the building” inside a masonry enclosure and be screened “very, very, very well” by trees and shrubs. He said the design team also proposes a six-foot wood fence along the west property line and landscaping on the south and west sides to help buffer noise and truck activity.

Caleb Freeland, the project's civil engineer, told the commission the store is expected to generate “very little traffic,” estimating “less than 200 daily trips” and “about 20 during a peak hour.” He said the site plan allows delivery trucks to turn in on the east driveway and that the team received comments from the Department of Transportation on the east driveway connection the morning of the meeting and is preparing responses.

An applicant representative said the developer has worked with the county and the city and is “ready to sign the development agreement with the city once we have the extension.” The same speaker described cleanup plans after winter storm damage to trees and said the team would “take care of the neighbors and the property.”

Commissioners and attendees raised concerns about dumpster noise and truck activity on the west side of the building. Lundberg acknowledged trucks will come in but said the combination of an enclosure, fence and landscaping will “lessen the impact” and that larger deliveries typically occur during business hours and local deliveries are more common during daytime hours.

No vote or formal action was recorded in the transcript segment provided. The project team said they are working through DOT comments and awaiting whatever extension the developer referenced; the transcript did not specify the nature or length of that extension or whether the commission set any conditions.

The architects said they had requested some landscaping waivers but pointed to an extensive planting plan along the south and west property edges. The civil engineer provided his address for the record and noted active permitting for drainage and sidewalk work with DOT.