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Board reviews 15 modification requests for Ovation PUD; staff and planning commission differ on several sign and parking items
Summary
City staff and the Franklin Municipal Planning Commission split on multiple requested changes to Ovation PUD standards — including angled parking, LED displays, and pedestrian interactive signs. Developers defended the requests; the board asked clarifying questions and reserved action for a public hearing set June 9.
City planning staff summarized 15 requested modifications of development standards (MOS) for the Ovation planned unit development at a May 12 work session, identifying items staff recommended for approval and several items staff recommended denying.
Chelsea (planning staff) said the package includes angled parking on internal private streets, requests to allow front‑of‑building loading zones, facade‑variation language for multifamily and commercial buildings, allowances for irregular and internally illuminated signs, and permission for LED message centers and a large-format LED display attached to a building facade. Staff recommended against some items — notably MOS 1 (angled parking in certain locations), MOS 7 (the originally requested 15 LED message centers) and MOS 8 (large LED display screens) — and recommended approval of other items. The Franklin Municipal Planning Commission (FMPC) recommended approval for most MOS requests by votes of 7–0 or 6–1, and in at least one case the commission offered a reduced alternative (for example, reducing proposed interactive signs from 15 to 12 and capping their height at 8 feet).
Developers and project representatives said angled parking and pedestrian wayfinding features make the development more usable and are consistent with examples elsewhere in Franklin. Greg Gamble, representing Highwoods/CenterCal and later Meritage Homes, noted angled parking in other local projects and told the board that police incident counts in comparable areas showed no accidents in the examples cited.
Board members asked technical questions about circulation and pedestrian safety, the exact build‑out represented by the drawings, whether angled parking would be approved in the configuration shown or merely allowed as an option, and whether temporary screens could meet business needs rather than permanent LED facades. Vice Mayor Baggett raised First Amendment and content‑control concerns about any permanently mounted LED screen, saying that once an LED display is permitted the city cannot easily control content. Staff said a condition or narrower language could limit locations or configurations and suggested BOMA could approve MOS with conditions.
FMPC vote records and staff recommendations will be included in the June 9 public hearing materials; the board did not take a final vote at the work session.
