More farmland east of I-65 rezoned

The Franklin City Council was divided again Monday about an industrial rezone east of the highway.

The city council voted 4-2 in favor of an annexation and rezone of 42.4 acres into the city. Council members Bob Heuchan and Anne McGuinness voted no on the proposal, and council member Ken Austin was absent.

The land is located south of the State Road 44 and County Road 600 East intersection, across from Umbarger Show Feeds. Oakleaf Farms is another development venture by Peter Norton and Mac McNaught, who developed Franklin Tech Park, a development that includes Energizer, Interstate Warehousing and a now-vacant building that formerly housed Cooper Tire.

Earlier this year, Oakleaf Farms received a 66-acre annexation and rezone directly across State Road 44 from this property. That land was rezoned and brought into the city with a 4-3 vote, with Heuchan and McGuinness, along with former council member Chris Rynerson, voting no.

McNaught told the Franklin Plan Commission in September the development is a natural progression for a property 1.2 miles east of Interstate 65. There are no tenants yet, but the facilities will be built with market needs in mind.

Because the property is bisected by a gas pipeline, its use is limited. Instead of a large building, two buildings will be built on either side of the pipeline easement, he said.

The proposal included several commitments from Oakleaf Farms. Developers agreed to shield landowners to the east and south, including preserving existing fencerow trees when possible, and planting at least 50 trees within 100 feet of the eastern property line, according to city documents.

Despite the buffer, both proposals from Oakleaf Farms were met with remonstration from neighbors of the property, which will likely become home to warehouses.

Chief among their concerns were quality of life and whether this type of growth is truly best for Franklin, given the amount of undeveloped and industrial-zoned land that is already available east of I-65. This proposal brings the total of industrial-zoned acreage east of the highway to more than 1,000 acres, with several hundred acres closest to the interstate already developed, according to online property records.

Heuchan and McGuinness said they voted no because they wanted to pump the brakes on additional development in the area for now.

“Nothing has changed since last time,” McGuinness said. “You can talk about growth, growth, growth, but you know you also have to consider how people who are living in our community feel and whether it is responsible growth.”

Heuchan called for an update to the city’s comprehensive plan to better guide development around the city, specifically on the eastside. He said developments like this should wait until there is an updated plan, because the city has changed so much since 2013 when the plan was last updated.

Heuchan also called for training on following the comprehensive plan to make sure city officials, including council members, the plan commission and the Franklin Board of Zoning Appeals know how to apply the comprehensive plan and the laws governing development. Council members McGuiness and Lisa Jones agreed.

Lynn Gray, Franklin’s city attorney, said the city is planning to update the comprehensive plan next year. Because the process takes about a year and includes multiple public meetings and a survey, it would not be feasible to hold off on the development until that process is completed, she said.

The industry standard for comprehensive plan updates is every 10 years, with supplements to be added as needed within that period. Since the plan was adopted, the city has added three supplements, including a bicycle and pedestrian plan, and a thoroughfare plan, said Joanna Tennell, Franklin’s senior planner.

Training on the planning process is something that is typically available annually as a group training session, but has not been offered for two years due to the pandemic, Tennell said.