Russell Brown, an attorney representing Redwood Living, Inc. gives a presentation on the proposed development Redwood Franklin to the Franklin Plan Commission on Tuesday.

Leeann Doerflein | Daily Journal

An Ohio apartment developer is proposing a 156-unit single-story apartment development in Franklin.

Redwood Living, Inc. is proposing building 156 single-story apartment homes on a 31.5-acre parcel located at the northeast corner of Hurricane Road and Upper Shelbyville Road in Franklin. The apartment community would have two-bed, two-bath, two-car garage units of varying sizes, according to plans submitted to the city.

This development would be the Independence, Ohio-based company’s third project in Johnson County. Redwood began leasing at their 100-unit Greenwood community at Smoky Row Road and State Road 135 in 2021 and was approved to build 158 units on a parcel near Whiteland Road and U.S. 31 in December. The company also has 16 properties that are either in development or are built out in Indiana.

Rent would be set at the market rate and it would be on a spectrum based on the square footage of the individual unit, with this complex likely to start around $1,600 and go up to around $2,100. Units will be roughly 1,300 to 1,700 square feet, said Russell Brown, an attorney representing Redwood.

At Redwood Greenwood, there are seven floorplans with rents ranging from $1,877 for a 1,294-square-foot unit to $2,504 for a 1,709-square-foot unit, according to the company’s website. The largest floor plans come with a sunroom. Rents in Whiteland are expected to be $1,600 and $2,000 a month, an attorney for the developer said at the time.

Across the country and across Indiana, these units are typically targeted at young professionals and empty-nesters, with the average age of tenants being 51. Most people who move into Redwood complexes are existing area residents who are looking for the type of single-story rental housing, Brown said.

Typically tenants live within a three-mile radius and are downsizing from a house or upsizing from a smaller apartment. Tenants don’t typically have kids and have two or fewer cars, Brown said.

The apartments would add a new type of housing that Franklin doesn’t have right now, Brown said. A similar single-story rental community is being built by local developer MultiPro, LLC on King Street next to Fire Station No. 22. This will feature 167 two-bed, two-bath, two-car garage luxury rental homes priced at an estimated $1,800 to $2,100.

News of this proposal coming to the Franklin Plan Commission Tuesday was spread on Facebook and residents expressed concerns over additional multi-family housing being built in this area. If approved, Redwood Franklin would be across the street from a 192-unit apartment complex known as Founder’s Pointe that is being developed by Carmel-based Lauth Group, Inc.

Only one person came to the meeting to express concerns. Devon Clawson, whose family owns industrial property to the north of the site. Clawson came to ask for a fence to make sure the residents couldn’t walk onto the property.

Franklin Senior Planner Joanna Tennell said there would be a buffer installed, as it is required by city code. The buffer is required to be one of the following: an opaque fence, an undulating mound with shrubs or a row of evergreens. Current plans show a row of trees along the property line with the industrial site.

Developers say multi-family housing is a good transition use between the industrial site to nearby single-family homes and nearby Webb and Needham elementary schools.

Plans also include a pond with a water feature and grassy area to mitigate the floodplain that is on the part of the property near the intersection of Upper Shelbyville Road and Eastview Drive. A bike path would also be built along Upper Shelbyville Road and tree-lined sidewalks will be built throughout the development.

The Franklin Plan Commission forwarded the proposal to rezone the land from industrial general to residential multi-family to the Franklin Common Council with a unanimous favorable recommendation. The council will take up the rezoning request and hold a public hearing in March.