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BZA approves variances to preserve historic buildings at 106 Bridge Street despite floodway constraints
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a request to waive the substantial-improvement requirement so three historic buildings at 106 Bridge Street may remain at their existing first-floor elevation, and also approved a separate request to reduce the minimum parking requirement to 0 for the same property.
The Board of Zoning Appeals of Franklin City on Feb. 6, 2025, approved two variances for the property at 106 Bridge Street: (1) a variance to waive the substantial-improvement requirement so the first-floor elevations of contributing historic buildings may remain in place rather than be raised to base flood elevation, and (2) a variance to reduce the minimum parking requirement for a proposed restaurant conversion to 0 spaces.
Planning staff told the board the 0.67-acre site sits entirely within the floodway overlay and within the historic preservation and Central Franklin overlays. The site contains three structures: a circa-1930 concrete-block building (formerly used by the city sanitation department and later as an auto repair shop), a Quonset hut with a brick facade from about the 1970s, and a wood accessory building. Staff said lifting the three buildings to meet base flood elevation would require raising the concrete building about 4 feet, the Quonset hut about 5 feet, and the wood accessory building about 9 feet—changes staff said would significantly alter character-defining features and could compromise the buildings’ historic status.
Staff noted the Historic Zoning Commission provided a favorable preliminary recommendation for the buildings to remain at their existing elevations because that approach “is the most sensitive to the architectural qualities of the contributing structure and presents the least amount of adverse impacts to the historic structure and the context of the overall historic district.” Based on that recommendation and the staff’s analysis under the variance criteria for historic-structure floodplain relief, staff recommended approval of the elevation-waiver variance. For the parking variance to reduce the minimum requirement to 0, staff recommended denial, stating the zoning ordinance intends that new uses provide sufficient parking and that the ordinance does not exempt floodplain or overlay restrictions.
Applicant Greg Gamble said the site—known locally as the old Anderson’s Garage—was purchased recently and that the owners want to restore the buildings and convert them to a restaurant use with outdoor seating. Gamble said the property is unique in Franklin because historic structures occupy a lot where no parking was ever constructed and that the entire parcel lies in the Harpeth River floodway. He presented a map showing approximately 396 paid parking spaces within 500 feet of the site, including the Harpeth Square garage and other nearby paid lots; he also presented emails from adjacent property owners indicating they would not provide permanent easements for shared parking but would allow paid parking use.
During discussion, board members balanced floodplain restrictions and historic-preservation concerns with the practical limits on providing on-site parking in the floodway. A motion to approve both variances carried unanimously. Board members said preserving the buildings’ historic character and the demonstrated availability of nearby parking factored in their decision.
Staff and the board also noted the Board of Mayor and Aldermen has discussed downtown parking requirements and a consultant-led downtown parking study is planned for fiscal year 2026; members said that study may inform future parking standards and alternatives.
