Planning commission backs Poplar's Reserve annexation and development plan amid traffic and school-capacity objections

The Franklin Municipal Planning Commission on June 25 voted to recommend annexation, rezoning and a development plan for Poplar's Reserve, a proposed 41-lot residential subdivision on 22.78 acres north of Clovercroft Road and east of Oxford Glen Drive. The commission approved the plan and three modification-of-standard (MOS) requests and will forward its recommendations to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

The proposal, as presented by city staff, includes a plan of services for the annexed property and anticipates student projections from Williamson County at buildout of about 10 elementary, 6 middle and 4 high-school students. Staff told the commission that infrastructure can be extended to serve the tract and that no additional city personnel are required for police, fire or sanitation operations.

The project drew public opposition during citizen comment. Janet Curtis, a nearby resident, told the commission: "This development will make our existing problems far worse. Severe school overcrowding. Dangerous traffic nightmare." Curtis said Trinity Elementary is at roughly 95% capacity and Page Middle is at 100%, and urged the commission to reject the annexation and development.

County Commissioner Greg Lawrence also urged caution. "Until we have a real plan — a timeline, a funding mechanism and who's going to do it — I would ask you guys to postpone any vote on this property," he said, citing long-standing safety issues on Clovercroft Road and a planned county-city task force to study the 96 East Corridor.

Representatives for the applicant described traffic-mitigation work the developers say they will fund, including hiring a traffic consultant and constructing a planned three-lane section of Clovercroft and a greenway trail on-site, and said the development was designed to transition to surrounding neighborhoods and to preserve about 50% of existing tree canopy and roughly 3 acres of open space.

Staff opposed the first MOS, which sought to waive a required street stub to the east for connectivity, on the grounds that the connection is feasible and necessary for long-term safe circulation. After debate about steep slopes, the hillside protection overlay and future redevelopment of adjacent parcels, the commission approved MOS #1 by a 5-3 vote despite the staff recommendation of disapproval. MOS #2 (revised alignment of the western connection) and MOS #3 (allowing a cul-de-sac to accommodate existing residents) were also approved by the commission. After the MOS votes, the planning commission voted to recommend approval of the overall development plan and associated rezoning.

The commission's vote sends the annexation, rezoning (Ordinance 20 26-17) and the development-plan resolution (Resolution 20 26-52) to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for final action. The planning commission record shows the MOS votes and the final recommendation; BOMA will consider the items at a future meeting.

Next steps: The commission's recommendation moves the annexation and Poplar's Reserve development toward a BOMA decision. The planning commission did not adopt the staff's connectivity recommendation, and opponents said they will continue to press concerns about school capacity and road safety during the public process.