Franklin Wonders What To Do With 'The Hill'

FRANKLIN, TN -- Vacant and largely disused, "The Hill" squeezed between Hillsboro Road, Del Rio Pike and Mt. Hope Cemetery looks to be the next major project Franklin will tackle.

Once home of the city's water department and fleet maintenance shops, two rundown, 40-year-old metal buildings sit on the property, rarely used except for now-and-again training for Franklin Police K9 units. The Franklin Board of Mayor and Alderman vote in July to delay a decision on The Hill's future until the widening of Hillsboro Road and upgrades to Bicentennial Park were complete. With Point Park at Bicentennial complete and an end in sight for Hillsboro Road, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen took a look at a Tuesday work session about The Hill's future.

In 2016, three non-profits -- Community Housing Partnership, Habitat for Humanity and the Hard Bargain Association -- presented a plan to build 40 affordable housing units across 4.76 acres, all priced under $200,000. Originally, the triumvirate asked the city to donate the land for the project, but with its value in the millions, the groups changed tack and said it could instead be purchased.

That idea still has its supporters on the board, though it certainly isn't universal.

"This is our opportunity to shine at this site," Alderman Pearl Bransford said, according to The Tennessean. "It will take us — this elected body — to look at making that site residential and affordable. I would love for us to make that leap."

Fourth Ward Alderman Margaret Martin said she's not interested in amending the land-use plan -- the site is zoned civic-institutional, not residential.

“I am not at all interested in amending the land use plan,” she said, according to the Williamson Herald. “If you cram 40 houses up there, you are not going to do the residents of this town any favors … It’s too dense. Let’s see how this [land use] plan works before changing it for everything that comes down the pike.”

Another proposal came from Franktown Open Hearts, a non-profit that teaches teenagers job and life skills. It wants to use the buildings for its auto shop, though city codes inspectors said the structures need significant improvements before they become usable.

The Hill is located within Hard Bargain, Franklin's historic African-American community, according to legend, named for the tough negotiation between W.S. McLemore and his former slave, Harvey McLemore, who purchased the land from his former owner after the Civil War. There is, however, some evidence the name predates the McLemores.

In any event, with The Hill, Hard Bargain looks like it will live up to its name once again.

Photo by Beth Torrence, used with permission