What's in store for Williamson Parks

For Beth and Peyton Doherty, and Bear, their docile Newfoundland, Brentwood’s park system is part of their daily routine.

Living in Brentwood for 14 years, the Dohertys have explored much of the city’s 965 acres of park space.

“I don’t mind paying my taxes every year when I think, there’s a trade off…whenever I see the parks,” Beth Doherty said.

While sprawling business centers and million-dollar homes may be the norm in much of Williamson County, green space is considered equally significant as scores of new residents move to the county each year, drawn to its strong schools and high quality of living.

Its two largest cities — Franklin and Brentwood — have approached park space in slightly different ways, with Brentwood winding down as phase two of development is under way on the 400-acre Marcella Vivrette Smith Park, the city's largest. Conversely, Franklin is designing a major new park to be built in coming years.

Brentwood

In the City of Brentwood’s drafted capital improvements program (CIP) for fiscal 2018 to 2023, parks funding is expected to be just 2 percent – or $2.7 million – of the city’s $138 million capital improvements budget. By 2020, it decreases to just $170,000 on parks projects.

In contrast, seven percent of the CIP plan, or $7 million, was budgeted for 2016 to 2021.

The reason for the decrease? Many of the city's larger projects are already under way or completed.

“We’re at a point where we’ve got to slow down a little bit, because the parks have been getting a lot of money,” said Brentwood Parks and Recreation Director Dave Bunt.

While smaller parks like Flagpole and Wikle may be established in the future, Bunt said he doesn’t see another project with the scope of the 400-acre Smith Park, simply because there isn't enough available land. The city spent $10 million in 2010 for the park.

“The land coming in 400-acre chunks is a rare opportunity in Brentwood,” he said.

Phase two construction at Smith Park – where running was once prohibited on its six miles of hiking trails – will include extending the “loop road” and bike path on the south side of Ravenswood Mansion. Two multi-purpose athletic fields with irrigation and parking will be added, as well as new restrooms, a picnic shelter and a playground.

Gil Hutchinson, of Brentwood Green Space, considers Smith Park to be the "crown jewel" of Brentwood's park system. The local nonprofit works to preserve open space in the form of parks, trails, historic sites and flood plains while respecting the rights of landowners and developers.

When Hutchinson first moved to Brentwood from central Florida in 1999, he was amazed to see turkey and deer meandering freely around the city's parks and undeveloped land.

"There's a bucolic atmosphere in this county that draws people to it...and the green space is a big part of that," Hutchinson said.

While the dwindling acres of undeveloped land in Brentwood face uncertainty, Hutchinson acknowledged the city's commitment to parks, despite its plans to allocate less funding to them in coming years.

"People would like to see more done...we know the community supports more green space, (and) preservation makes sense," he said. "But a lot of money has been allocated to building out Smith Park, which is a huge capital commitment of the city."

In addition, Flagpole and Wikle parks opened in October, each with unique facilities. Flagpole, just under nine acres at the north end of Mallory Lane, has two multi-purpose sports field, a half-court basketball court and a walking trail.

The 15-acre Wikle Park on Wikle Road West has a playground, paved walking paths, play lawns and a gazebo with picnic tables.

Franklin

With projections of several thousand new homes being built over the next decade, the City of Franklin is working to bolster its own park system to accommodate its growing population, said Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Clayton.

“From a recreational standpoint, parks are one of the best things you can have within a city. It can be connectivity, it can help with transportation, stress and health,” said Franklin Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Clayton.

Clayton said the national standard for cities is six acres of park space per 1,000 residents, as suggested by the National Recreation and Parks Association.

"We're about 10 acres per thousand people. We want to continue to meet at least the national standards, so as our city grows, (developers) pay their proportionate share," Clayton said.

Using that same standard, Brentwood has about 24 acres of park space per 1,000 residents.

A master parks plan by the Franklin Parks and Recreation Department last year outlines several goals over the next decade. Increased land acquisition for new parks – especially neighborhood parks – is one of those objectives, Clayton added.

Under proposed changes to Franklin's zoning ordinance, Clayton said developers building new subdivisions could receive credits for establishing parks or green spaces.

“If it’s five acres or more, they could turn (the property) over and the city would maintain them,” said Clayton, adding that the city is “looking to revamp” its park land dedication program.

“This would allow developers to get credit to build private or public amenities, but our goal is that that we’d create neighborhood parks in all our subdivisions,” Clayton said. "We'd like to improve quality of life while homes are going in, instead of it being an afterthought."

Franklin has had dedicated park space on the books since 2008, but the credits would allow roughly $4 million that's sitting in a land dedication fund to be used for developing such spaces in new neighborhoods for public use, Clayton said.

“We’re a county that’s highly competitive and aggressive with working with development to bring the best of the best. But at the same time, those companies bring families, and we have to prepare for that,” she said.

Reach Elaina Sauber at esauber@tennessean.com or 615-571-1172 and on Twitter @elainasauber.

Parks by the numbers

Brentwood

Acres: About 965

Number: 14

Newest: Flagpole and Wikle Parks

Biggest: Marcella Vivrette Smith Park, 400 acres

Looking ahead: 

— At Crockett Park in 2018, plans include a multipurpose field trail connection and a small playground at the picnic shelter. Larger improvements, planned tentatively for 2022, include replacing the community playground and the amphitheater roof.

— About $150,000 is planned for improvements to Maryland Way Park in 2019 for a pedestrian gateway connection to the Hill Center redevelopment project.

Franklin

Acres: Over 700 

Number: 16

Newest: Carters Hill Battlefield Park, currently under development. 

Biggest:  The Park at Harlinsdale Farm, 200 acres

Looking ahead:

— The city is in the process of design plans for a multi-purpose, 180-acre park with a $13.1 million price tag in southeast Franklin that's visible from I-65. It will be similar to Jim Warren Park, Clayton said, but with lacrosse and football fields, Clayton said. Trail systems and canoe access to the Harpeth River, which runs through the property, would also be developed. Once its design is completed, construction would take roughly three years and likely be done in phases. The property still needs basic infrastructure such as roads and sewer lines. Right now, it’s still raw land.