Franklin council approves limited Highview access and easement change for high school expansion after hours of debate

Franklin Common Council on Tuesday approved a conditional-use restriction limiting access to Highview Drive to emergency vehicles and approved an amendment to a conservation easement that reduces the buffer along the southeast corner of the Franklin High School property — moves the school says are needed to build tennis courts and a replacement practice field tied to a 2024 referendum.

The council vote on the conditional use (g1) restricts general access to Highview Drive but allows temporary event access; the council also approved an amendment to a recorded conservation easement (g2) that sets an average 60-foot easement line rather than the 150-foot buffer the Plan Commission recommended.

Why it matters: The decisions clear two regulatory hurdles the Franklin School District says are necessary to complete the referendum-backed high school improvements, including at least 10 tennis courts and a new practice field the district says cannot be accommodated elsewhere on the land without changing the easement. Neighbors said the plan will reduce tree buffers and increase traffic and stormwater risks for adjacent residential streets.

What the council approved and how it got there - Conditional use (g1): Alderman Day moved that access to Highview Drive be approved only for emergency vehicles, with an allowance for limited event access; the motion also included a tennis-court lighting restriction to shut off “by dusk or 8 p.m., with the exception of school-sponsored activities or tournaments.” The motion passed on a 4–2 roll-call vote: Ayes — Pecarelli, Hassan, Day, Salouse; Noes — Eichmann, Craig.

- Conservation easement amendment (g2): The council voted to amend a previously recorded conservation easement so the district may modify easement boundaries on the southeast corner to an average 60-foot buffer (instead of a 150-foot…