The Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 7-0 on May 24 to approve the transfer of downtown land at 403 and 405 Fifth Ave. N., Franklin, to a partnership of local nonprofits that plan to develop the site into affordable and workforce housing.

As currently proposed, the project, often referred to as The Hill, envisions 39 three-bedroom homes with a price range of between $275,000-$375,000 on the 4-acre site, said Derwin Jackson, Franklin Housing Authority president and CEO, during an April 26 presentation on the project.

The currently planned 39 townhomes would be split between 23 workforce and 16 affordable units, according to the resolution approved on May 24.

The approved resolution stipulated the workforce units be reserved for buyers earning no more than 150% of the area’s median household income, and the affordable units be limited to households earning 80% or less of the area median household income.

The Hill LLC. Partnership is comprised of the housing authority, the Community Housing Partnership of Williamson County, Habitat for Humanity Williamson-Maury and the Hard Bargain Association, all groups involved in the development of affordable housing in the area.


In 2021, the city declared the land—the former site of a public works fleet maintenance facility—surplus property. Earlier this year, the Hill LLC was one of two entities that responded to a city request for letters of interest to build affordable housing on the land, City Administrator Eric Stuckey said during the meeting May 24.

The partnership will now be required to meet a deadline to file a letter of intent within three months and submit a development plan within six months, according to Stuckey.