Franklin farmland to be developed in partnership with Nashville sports franchises

Nashville's three professional sports teams are coming together in a major development planned for Brownland Farm in Franklin.

The 233-acre property, located on Hillsboro Road near Mack Hatcher Parkway and owned by the Anderton family, hosts local, regional and national equestrian events.

Plans were released Tuesday by Brentwood-based BLVD Capital in partnership with the Andertons for a sports-focused mixed-use development at the farm to include the Nashville Predators, Tennessee Titans and Nashville Soccer Club. 

The project, to be called The Banks at Brownland, is set to include a hockey facility; football, soccer and lacrosse fields; and a golf training and practice facility. In addition, restaurant and retail space, medical offices, and a grocery store are planned.

Jim Darter, principal with BLVD Capital, told the Post that offering the community assets is what makes the project worthwhile.

"We do a decent bit of real estate development, but it's not often that we get to work on real estate development projects where there's a lot of community benefit and good that can also come in the context of doing a commercial project like this," Darter said.

BLVD Capital is eyeing a 2027 construction start and and 2029 completion. The development process will start with a joint meeting on Monday, June 29, with the Williamson County Commission and the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The two bodies will discuss co-owning the hockey facility, similar to their arrangement for the Cool Springs Conference Center. If approved, the Predators would manage the facility.

Total cost for the complete project is estimated to be about $300 million for everything except for the hockey facility, which will be funded by Franklin and Williamson County if the government entities decide to move forward with that component of the project.

The land will be donated to the Sports Authority of Williamson County for a $35 million to $40 million project to be funded by the issuing of bonds for an annual debt service estimated between $2.5 million and $2.9 million annually for 20 years split by the county and city.

The project is estimated to generate $10 million in revenue annually during the same period, with the local governmental bodies to receive 75 percent of the profit.

As part of an up to 30-year agreement to manage the facility, the Predators would receive the other 25 percent. The NHL franchise would be responsible for all operating expenses and routine maintenance and will make an annual lease payment that will function as reserves for capital maintenance.

Also separated from the total development cost is a future building for GraceWorks Ministries.

BLVD Capital will also acquire 18 acres of land from Christ Community Church for the project and plans to give back six acres of the land to GraceWorks for a permanent location for the organization, which provides food, clothing, housing and financial assistance.

GraceWorks will receive the land with site preparations completed by BLVD Capital so that it is ready for construction once the nonprofit completes a capital campaign to fund the new building. GraceWorks has partnered with the church since the organization's founding in 1995.

"Particularly thinking about stakeholders like GraceWorks, and then the partnerships with the local sports teams to incentivize access to youth sports," Darter said, "we feel like both of those things related to this project are really exciting and fun for us, and rewarding and fulfilling as people who call Middle Tennessee home."

Darter said BLVD Capital is also working with the Anderton family to help find Williamson County property for continued horse show operations in hopes that the project timeline will line up also with the Anderton's typical scheduling of events to move at an appropriate time.

He also told the Post that the developers and architects aim to preserve the integrity of the property as a green space and to respectfully recognize its equine history.

"Some motifs come through in the architecture and design of the project to try to honor the use of the property as a farm over the long term," Darter said. "We're excited about trying to come up with something that honors the heritage of the property and also preserves a lot of that green space and thing that makes the property so beautiful today."

Previous development concepts for the land faced flood plain designation challenges. Darter said in conversations with stakeholders the developers listened to community needs so as to inform design of The Banks at Brownland. 

"We're attempting to do as little flood plain manipulation as possible by keeping the core of the vertical construction in the area that's currently not in the flood plain, which is why you see a unique orientation to the structures and buildings on the property in the site plan," Darter said.

"This just ended up being something that was born out of a lot of those conversations we had early on, trying to listen for what people would be excited to see, but that also works in the confines of the constraints, both from the city's perspective and from the neighbors."

The Banks at Brownland is set to include:

• 100,000 square-foot hockey facility with two sheets of ice managed by the Nashville Predators in partnership with the Sports Authority of Williamson County
• Six fields dedicated to football in partnership with the Tennessee Titans in support of Williamson County's girls flag football programs
• Six fields of both grass and turf dedicated to soccer in collaboration with Nashville Soccer Club
• More than 60-acre golf facility with an AI-driven golf improvement platform, 400-yard driving range with nearly 200 hitting bays, short game practice area, putting green and nine-hole short course led by PGA Professional and Franklin Bridge Golf Club owner Brooks West
• GraceWorks Ministries future building for community wraparound services
• 400,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, grocery, fitness, wellness and medical office space