Franklin City BZA approves accessory dwelling unit at 18 Martin Place; elects officers and reappoints counsel

The Franklin City Board of Zoning Appeals voted to approve a special-exception permit allowing a ground-floor accessory dwelling unit at 18 Martin Place and took three routine administrative actions during its meeting.

The accessory dwelling unit (ADU) approval, filed as ZB24-9 (CV 249), authorizes one 1-bedroom, 1-bath ADU of about 600 square feet (limited to 600 square feet ±10%) to be built attached to the primary structure at 18 Martin Place, with conditions on design and parking. The board also elected a slate of officers, approved minutes from its Nov. 6, 2024 meeting and reappointed Lynn Gray as legal counsel.

Alex, the senior planner, told the board that ZB24-9 is a special-exception request to allow an accessory dwelling unit in the RTN (Residential Traditional Neighborhood) zoning district. "An accessory dwelling unit as defined by the ordinance is a separate and complete secondary dwelling unit established in conjunction with and clearly subordinate to another dwelling that serves as the primary use or structure on the property," Alex said. He described the existing home as roughly 3,035 square feet and said the petitioner proposed a roughly 24-by-24-foot (about 576-square-foot) unit to be located between the house and a detached three-car garage and connected to the main house through a shared entry.

Petitioner James Mendez said the unit is intended for his mother. "We're planning actually trying to be proactive and plan for the future a little bit," Mendez said, adding that the house has limited interior options for adding a bedroom and that some contractors advised against opening the older structure. He said the ADU would be "not visible from the street" because it will sit behind the house and that the applicants intend to match the primary home's brick and window trim where possible.

Staff recommended approval with five conditions (A–E) and one amendment to condition B. Condition A limits the unit to one bedroom and one full bathroom and requires it be designed and constructed as part of the primary structure. Condition B requires that the ADU's exterior facades incorporate design elements of the existing primary structure "in order to protect the historically significant character of the Martin Place neighborhood," and the board added language requiring the design to be submitted to staff for review and approval. Condition C sets the living-area limit at 600 square feet ±10%. Condition D requires a minimum of four off-street paved parking spaces; staff noted the property has a three-car garage plus additional paved area and a gated driveway, which satisfies the requirement. Condition E requires compliance with applicable federal, state, county and local permits and building, fire and health codes.

Board members asked about historic-district oversight. Alex said the Martin Place area is a designated historic district as a whole, and that exterior changes visible from the street may be subject to review; the proposed ADU's rear location reduces the chance of street-visible alterations. Commissioners also discussed how the design approval would be enforced; staff said the building-permit review would confirm compliance with BZA conditions.

The board voted unanimously to approve ZB24-9 with conditions A–E and the amended language on B. Following the ADU vote, the board approved the minutes from its Nov. 6, 2024 meeting, reappointed Lynn Gray as legal counsel for the year and elected a slate of officers: Jim Martin as chairman, Bill Carson as vice chairman and Clayton Black as secretary.

Votes at a glance: ZB24-9 (18 Martin Place) — Approved (4–0); Minutes (Nov. 6, 2024) — Approved (4–0); Appointment of legal counsel (Lynn Gray) — Approved (4–0); Election of officers (Martin, Carson, Black) — Approved (4–0).

The ADU approval is contingent on the petitioner obtaining required permits and submitting final design plans to staff for review; the petitioner and staff indicated next steps will include formal building-permit applications and compliance checks with building, fire and health codes.