For more than a decade, a couple of local investors have been slowly assembling land at the intersection of Arno Road and Murfreesboro Road, believing that the City of Franklin would one day grow in that direction, and a conviction that thoughtful, well-integrated development would eventually be needed. With the recent completion of Murfreesboro Road improvements and upcoming upgrades to the Arno intersection, they believe the time is right to begin planning.

To lead the effort, they engaged Craige Hoover and Brian Wright of Character Development, the team behind the much-anticipated Armistead project in west Franklin. The project’s deep public engagement inspired the landowners to take a similar approach for the east side of town.

“Too often, plans are drawn behind closed doors,” said Wright, who also founded Town Planning and Urban Design Collaborative (TPUDC). “We believe in doing it the other way around. We want neighbors and stakeholders to help design this place from the beginning—to share their ideas, concerns, and priorities so that what’s ultimately built is something the community wants and can be proud of.”

The effort will begin with a multi-day public design charrette at Grace Church at Franklin, located at 4052 Arno Road, from Monday, July 28 through Friday August 1st, with the closing presentation on Tuesday, August 5. Grace Church is not advocating for any form of development, they are offering the space as a forum for community dialogue.

In that spirit of transparency and collaboration, the team will begin the design work only after the Charrette kicks off and the opening night workshop concludes. The master plan will be created in real time over the course of the intensive five-day process, as participants work alongside a team of architects and planners.

The site includes more than 75 acres across multiple parcels at the southeast corner of Murfreesboro Road and Arno Road—less than 1.5 miles from I-65. The area has long been seen as the likely next step in Franklin’s growth, but no formal plans have been proposed until now.

About Arno Village

The Opening Presentation and Workshop will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 28th. Then Tuesday, July 29th will include a full day of topical sessions such as Transportation, Infrastructure and Utilities; Conservation and Open Space; and Housing and Community Character. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, July 30th through August 1st, will be Open Studio days, where architects, engineers and planners will be actively designing based on feedback heard in the sessions. All sessions are open to the public. The Final Presentation will be Tuesday, August 5th at 6 p.m., where the master plan developed during the charrette will be presented. The full schedule can be found below.

All events will be located at Grace Church at Franklin, 4052 Arno Rd, Franklin TN. Grace Church is not advocating for any form of development, they are offering the space as a forum for community dialogue.

Public
Charrette

Opening Presentation and Workshop 6:00pm-8:00pm
This presentation will feature principles of innovative planning and provide an overview of the Charrette process that will unfold over the next several days. After the presentation, participants will be invited to contribute their ideas for the property, working over maps of the land to identify how they might like to see the property develop in the future. In addition, participants can discuss any ideas and concerns they may have related to the property and how it affects the surrounding community. This will be followed by a Q&A session.
Open Studio 9am – 7pm
Drop in anytime between these hours to catch up on anything you may have missed, provide comments, ask questions, or simply watch the team work.
Topical Meeting #1 9:00am-10:00am Transportation, Infrastructure & Utilities
During this meeting, we will discuss streets, connectivity, and traffic, and the ways people are able to move to, through, and around the property and how services will be provided to the neighborhood. The design team’s civil engineer will be there to provide specific insight.
Topical Meeting #2 1:00pm-2:00pm Conservation & Open Space
During this meeting, we will discuss natural resources, conservation, sustainability, and types of open space. The design team’s engineers, landscape architect and stormwater specialist will provide their knowledge about sustainable strategies that can enhance and enliven the community’s conservation and open spaces.
Topical Meeting #3 5:30pm-6:30pm Housing & Community Character
During this meeting, we will discuss housing needs, preferences, housing types and community character. The design team’s urban designers and architects will facilitate a discussion with participants to articulate the distinctive design features that will make the community unique.
Open Studio 9am – 7pm
Drop in anytime between these hours to catch up on anything you may have missed, provide comments, ask questions, or simply watch the team work.
Open Studio 9am – 7pm
Drop in anytime between these hours to catch up on anything you may have missed, provide comments, ask questions, or simply watch the team work.
Open Studio 9am – 12pm
Drop in anytime between these hours to catch up on anything you may have missed, provide comments, ask questions, or simply watch the team work.
Closing Presentation 6:00pm
This presentation will highlight the input we received from the community and feature our analysis, an illustrative master plan, and artist renderings all of which were created in real-time during the Charrette.