A potential plan to build 355 condos at Royal Oaks and Oak Meadows Drive has citizens’ hair standing up. Last night, the developers, EPOCH, heard residents concerned about the potential subdivision’s affect on traffic at a Franklin Planning Commission Neighborhood meeting
The questions they asked had one clear message: whatever you do, do NOT make traffic worse.
The four-story complex of “Class A industrial quality” apartments will spread over 30.4 acres and sit touching Home Depot, with some 240 condos north of Oak Meadows Drive and 115 south of it. The developers will submit a plan for consideration to the Planning Commission on March 14.
Until then they are working out the kinks and trying to ensure the community that their development won’t turn an already terrible traffic situation into a tragic one on Royal Oaks.
Officials at that meeting clearly were concerned about the potential problems with increased traffic.
“We are very sensitive about traffic on Royal Oaks,” Alderman Mike Skinner said.
Citizens sounded equally,and more bluntly, concerned.
However, Adam Crunk, of Crunk Engineering in Franklin and speaking for the developer, said a traffic survey is under way.
“You are all here because you are concerned about traffic- and I know and I get it,” he said.
“The idea is about connectivity- the more places you can make connections to the better traffic will be. The city is very involved in our study. All your concerns are being talked about and worked around so the study will be completed when we submit our plan.”
At the meeting last Thursday, Crunk said that at 5 p.m. at Royal Oaks and Mack Hatcher there used to be 50 cars, but ever since I-65 opened up a third lane that traffic has been reduced to a handful and there has been a 10 to 15 percent reduction in traffic on the Royal Oaks corridor.”
The plan will be submitted to the Planning Commission on the 14th, and we will have updates then on its status. But citizens and officials still did not seem entirely mollified.
“The more units we approve, the worse the traffic is going to be,”Margaret Martin, alderman, said. “It is not going to be better.
The complex itself, as planned, is luxury-style condominiums with 50 percent open space, and units will cost $160 per square foot ($1,800 for a two bedroom), and have pools, fitness centers demonstration kitchens and business centers.
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