FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Franklin city leaders have acknowledged the need for workforce housing, but a proposed apartment complex off Liberty Pike is drawing pushback from neighboring landowners who fear the development could threaten farms and family legacies that span generations.
City leaders will decide whether to rezone land off Liberty Pike for the apartment units. The developer has already reduced the project from 180 to approximately 70 units, hoping to gain approval for the rezoning application.
For John Williams, the stakes are personal. His 80-acre century farm shares a border with the proposed development — land filled with generations of family history.
"That's the most beautiful sunset I think I've ever seen," Williams said of his property.
That sense of peace was interrupted when a notice arrived in the mail.
"The next day in the mail I got this notice of what they were going to do to me. And I thought, this is the moon and the stars lining up against me," Williams said.
Williams said a large residential development next door would make farming impossible.
"There's no way that a four-story building with people right up against you, that it can survive trying to farm and have livestock and all the things that go with farming," he said.
Neighbor Barb Cramer shares similar concerns, particularly about what runoff from new construction and pavement could mean for her property.
"We already have erosion," Cramer said. "But when they fill that up with black top and apartments, what will they do to us? Scary."
Cramer said the emotional weight of the situation is difficult to process.
"It's sobering to think about it when you have been here for so many years like we've been, and when you've put all of this here, to have somebody just decide, 'OK, I'm going to do that there,'" she said.
For both neighbors, the concern extends beyond their own property lines.
"Franklin touts itself as being historic, beautiful land, beautiful territory, that kind of thing, and what are they gonna do to this?" Williams said.
Adding to their frustration: Williams and Cramer reside in Williamson County, while the proposed apartment complex sits on land within the city of Franklin. That means they have no formal representation in the rezoning decision.
NewsChannel 5 reached out to the developer and has not heard back.
Barb Cramer and John Williams contacted NewsChannel 5 to share their story. If there is a project you think needs to be highlighted in Williamson County, email reporter Amanda Roberts at Williamson@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
