After four 5-4 votes, the Franklin Plan Commission failed to reach a majority consensus to rezone land near The Legends Golf Club for a 347-home subdivision.
Forestar Group, a residential lot development company based in Arlington, Texas, is proposing to annex 130 acres and rezone the land north of the Heritage subdivision on Hurricane Road to two different classifications of residential zoning with commitments. The land is across Hurricane Road from The Legends.
The northside of the subdivision would be zoned R-2 to accommodate estate homes from $330,000 to over $400,000, while the southside would be zoned R-3 for smaller homes from $285,000 to $336,000, according to Melissa Garrard of Forestar Group. With two lot sizes, the development is envisioned as a transition between lower value homes to the south and estate homes north of the property, she said.
Forestar Group has not decided on a homebuilder for the development, which is dubbed The Highlands, Garrard said. There is a chance that the builder could be DR Horton, an Arlington, Texas-based home builder which has a majority stake in Forestar Group, but it could also be another builder, she said.
Common areas in the subdivision would largely be taken up by drainage ponds, with many backyards to back up to the waterfront, the plan shows.
Sidewalks would be built throughout the subdivision and an extension of the Franklin Greenway Trail would be built along Hurricane Road, according to documents submitted to the city.
The commission did reach a majority consensus of 7-2 to annex the land into the city, but the commission was more divided on the rezoning issue. The commission landed 5-4 on votes to send the proposal to the Franklin City Council with a favorable, unfavorable and no recommendation.
Nearby residents and Ted Bishop, general manager of The Legends, expressed concerns about the project to the plan commission. About 15 attended the meeting to remonstrate and four spoke to the commission.
Bishop was concerned that the development would cause drainage problems for the golf course, as the area it is proposed in is a lowland that collects water. Water from the Heritage subdivision has already caused damage to the course, he said.
An exclusively large lot subdivision would likely cause less water to be displaced, Bishop said.
Others who spoke also called on the plan commission to hold off on developing this property and asked them to wait for a proposal that would bring estate homes with larger lots or something like a wellness lifestyle community.
Franklin has a right to be choosy, neighbors say. Accepting a project like this one could set a precedent that Franklin leaders will say “yes” to anything, said Sharon Acton, a city resident who grew up near the proposed development.
“We have an opportunity here to have a vision for the right kind of development in Franklin, not just any type of development,” Acton said. “Accept a project that adds to the charm of Franklin, not just (makes us) an extension of Indianapolis. Sooner or later, if we continue with these kinds of projects, we will lose farmfield after farmfield. There will be rows and rows of little boxes. You won’t know if you are in Franklin or Whiteland or Greenwood.”
Neighbors were also concerned that there is not enough information about the proposal, given that there is no home builder announced, and thus no guarantee of the quality of the homes.
The plan commission could not reach a six-vote majority consensus on whether to rezone the property in the manner the Forestar Group requested. Because this could not be reached, the proposal will be back on the agenda next month.
