Franklin Projects approved by BOMA and funded through the Invest Franklin Initiative

Invest Franklin projects are funded by a 2016 property tax increase of .10 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, with with $0.07 being dedicated to the Invest Franklin initiative, approved by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in June 2016.   Our total property tax is $0.4176 cents / $100 of assessed valuation.  The City of Franklin maintains one of the lowest municipal property tax rates in the State of Tennessee.  Franklin continues to be a highly desirable community for families and businesses to call home.  Along with acclaim on numerous city ratings focusing on high quality of life, Franklin boasts unprecedented job and population growth.  In fact, Federal government numbers show that Williamson County was the top county in America for job growth in 2014-15.  Most of this job growth occurred in Franklin and matches recent U.S. Census reports that identify Franklin as one of the fastest growing cities in the country with a population of more than 50,000.  Since 2013 (a 39-month period), the City of Franklin has experienced a total investment in permitted development of nearly $1.7 billion.  Our city is honored to be a community that so many are choosing as a place toinvest, build a business, raise a family, spend a vacation, and, most of all, a place they proudly call “home.”

Below are nine infrastructure projects approved by the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen for funding.

East McEwen-Phase 4-$27,478,800-Improvement of East McEwen Drive, from 800 feet east of the roundabout at Cool Springs Boulevard/Oxford Glen Drive to Wilson Pike (SR-252). The project shall be constructed as a four (4) lane, median divided facility with turn lanes as requred. Project shall include: access management (as allowable), curb & gutter, street lights, ITS Infrastructure, and accomodations for pedestrians and bicycles. Approximate project length of 8,200 LF.

East/Southeast Multipurpose Park-$13,200,000-Develop a new East/Southeast Multi-Purpose Park on the minimum of 50 acres recommended to be acquired in the east or southeast portion of the city. The park would include a minimum of 8 lighted multi-purpose rectangular sports fields that could be used for football, lacrosse, rugby, and soccer.  The Franklin Cowboys football program would move from Jim Warren Park to this new park when completed.  This park should have a range of passive uses as well to serve as a community park for neighborhoods in this area.  A master plan should be developed for the park once the property is acquired to guide phased development of the site.

Sidewalk Gaps-$1,250,000-Annual budget of $250,000 over a 5-year period to “fill-in” gaps in the existing sidewalk network. Project # ST16037 Priority n/a Justification Segments of sidewalk that do not have logical connections (e.g gaps) exist in many areas around the City. An dedicated budget item on an annual basis would allow the City the opportunity to complete existing sidewalk networks by “filling-in” these gaps.

• Install 850′ of sidewalk from Columbia State Community College property line to Turning Wheel Ln.
• Upgrade existing sidewalk along S Royal Oaks Blvd to a 12′ wide multiuse Trail Project # ST16029 Priority 1 Star Project Justification This trail system will provide connectivity from the Creekstone and Forrest Crossing HOA to the future Mack Hatcher Parkway Multiuse Trail.

Fire Station 7-$4,330,000-New Fire Station at the Williamson County AG Complex Project # FD16001 Priority 4 Star Project Justification The City currently operates a temporary fire station at the Williamson County AG Complex. This temporary fire station needs to be replaced with a permanent facility.

Franklin Road Improvements-$14,340,000-Improvement of Franklin Road, from the bridge at the Harpeth River to Hooper Lane. The project shall be constructed as a three (3) facility. Project shall include: curb & gutter, street lights, ITS Infrastructure, sidewalks, and typical streetscape elements. Approximate project length of 3,500 LF.

Goose Creek Interchange Lighting-$870,000-Interchange lighting for Goose Creek at I-65.  The City will need to partner with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to fund 50 percent of the cost associated with this project.

Major Street Resurfacing-$5,400,000-The resurfacing (e.g. paving) of major roadways within the City are proposed to be included in the Capital Investment Plan (CIP) as follows:

• 2017 – Cool Springs Blvd, from Mack Hatcher Pkwy to East McEwen Dr
• 2018 – Royal Oaks Blvd/Mallory Ln, from Mack Hatcher Pkwy to Cool Springs Blvd
• 2019 – Mallory Ln, from Cool Springs Blvd to Moores Ln
• 2020 – Liberty Pk, from Franklin Rd to Broadgate Dr/Waverly Pl
• 2021 – Del Rio Pk, from Cotton Ln to Hillsboro Rd
• 2022 – Carothers Pkwy, from Long Ln to Isabella Ln
• 2023 – East McEwen Dr, from Cool Springs Blvd to Wilson Pk
• 2024 – Boyd Mill Ave/Carlisle Ln, from SR-96W (Jim Warren Park) to Del Rio Pk

As expected, any scheduled maintenance would be significantly postponed by the funding over major reconstruction projects. For example, the funding of the East McEwen Drive Phase 4 Project would eliminate the immediate need to repave that section of East McEwen Drive, as repaving would be performed as a part of the reconstruction project.

Public Safety Communications System-$4,600,000-Building from the City of Franklin’s existing radio system, Williamson County, the City of Brentwood, and the City of Franklin are partnering to build a county-wide 700 MHz digital trunked radio system to serve public safety and public service’s needs.  The new county-wide public safety radio system also presents the opportunity to seamlessly “tie-into” radio systems in Metro Nashville, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and other similar systems in the region.  This inter-operability within our region and state is critically important to emergency responses such as a natural disaster.  The initial phase of the project will involve a system software upgrade of the existing Franklin radio system, the build-out of radio towers in key locations, and the purchase of radios for Police and Fire.  The estimated cost of the project is approximately $22.4 million with approximately $13.9 million coming from Williamson County, $4 million from Brentwood, and $4.5 million from Franklin. 

Mallory Lane/Royal Oaks/Liberty Pike Intersection Improvements (Phase 1)-$2,200,000-Intersection improvements to North Royal Oaks Boulevard, Liberty Pike and Mallory Lane. This intersection is projected to be at a failure level in the next 3-4 years based on the proposed development along Carothers Parkway. If this porject is not completed, there will be significant delays at this key intersection