Franklin is going to start feeling a lot homier.
Providence Builders plans to develop the Scenic Ridge residential subdivision. The project would build about 100 new dwellings with an average of three bedrooms each on a 40-acre tract off Highlands Road behind Smoky Mountain Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM. This land is in the town limits and would benefit from the town’s water and sewer.
Providence Builders secured a utility extension agreement from the town on Aug. 7, 2015 to accommodate the subdivision, but the project had fallen by the wayside in the time since then. However, at the latest meeting of Franklin’s Town Council, Providence Builders manager Neil Enloe confirmed that they were ready to proceed and asked for the council members to approve water and sewer allocations for the subdivision.
“We got sidetracked for a while, but now we’re back on it,” Enloe said. “Once the allocations are approved by the town, we can begin the special-use process and the land development application process again.”
Council members approved allocating resources to the subdivision as part of the consent agenda. While the actual development of the subdivision is still a long way off and has no certain timetable, vice mayor Barbara McRae is excited by the prospect of a new neighborhood. She feels that housing is too scarce in Macon County, particularly for the middle income earners, and that Scenic Ridge would help attract more young people to the area.
“I have talked to many people who have struggled to find a place to live, either to rent or purchase, in Franklin and also in surrounding counties,” McRae said. “Given the scarcity of housing in Franklin and the region and the potential impact on the town, I think this is great news.”
Drake did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
There will be an informational meeting for neighbors of the planned subdivision at town hall at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18.