City advances two‑phase downtown parking plan to add street spaces and calm State of Franklin traffic

The commission reviewed a two‑phase plan from Public Works to increase downtown parking capacity and improve pedestrian access along State of Franklin Road. Public Works Director Jason Miles presented an estimated total cost of about $460,000 for the project.

Phase one would construct street parking and convert a lane into a parking drive, adding four parking spaces inside the Downtown Square lot and several street spaces with speed humps and a median to calm traffic. Phase two would reconfigure lot islands and add up to 37 additional spaces total, with pedestrian access improvements. Staff said the fire department has cleared the design to maintain emergency access.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about how the plan would affect queuing and merge points near Spring Street, mid‑block crossings, and the potential need to model peak‑period traffic. Traffic staff (Anthony Todd) said the area carries about 13,000 vehicles per day and that peak‑period queues will increase congestion in constrained times but that off‑peak flows should improve pedestrian safety and access. Staff also said additional calming and enclosure of dumpsters downtown are part of the broader downtown cleanup work.

The commission approved the consent item, with one member noting concerns about merging and queueing at peak times and requesting further modeling as the plan moves forward.

What happens next: staff will advance detailed design and coordinate with fire and traffic engineering on merge geometry and peak‑period signal timing as the project moves to procurement and construction.