An updated concept map shows a proposed Arbor Homes development for Umbarger Lane and County Road 75 South in Franklin. Submitted rendering
A proposed Arbor Homes subdivision with 202 homes in Franklin is closer to being approved.
The Franklin City Council unanimously OK’d a fiscal plan on Monday for the Arbor Homes development planned at the northeast corner of Umbarger Lane and Country Road 75 South. If approved, the subdivision would be immediately south of the Indiana National Guard armory and west of Interstate 65.
A fiscal plan is a state requirement for projects involving annexation and determines whether the city can fiscally handle a proposed development, said Lynn Gray, the council’s attorney. The petitioner wants to annex 130 acres and rezone approximately 53 acres to agriculture and approximately 77 acres to residential.
The annexation and rezoning requests for the proposed subdivision will be voted on at a future council meeting, Gray said. The vote typically comes at the next meeting, which will be held at 6 p.m. on March 16.
About 60% of the 202 homes would be the higher-end Silverthorne product, and 40% would be Arbor Homes. The Silverthorne homes would be closest to the road, while the Arbor product would be arranged further back on the property, along the interstate. Silverthorne homes would likely sell for mid-$400,000s up into the $500,000s and Arbor Homes would likely sell for the high $300,000s to the mid-$400,000s, said Eric Prime, an attorney representing Arbor Homes.
Additionally, the development would feature a large central green space and amenities like a trail, walking paths, sidewalks and a playground, Prime said.
The council rejected the fiscal plan for the initial version of the subdivision that was proposed in August 2025. Since then, Arbor Homes decreased the number of lots from 216 to 202, added 15% more Silverthorne homes, and created a larger central green space rather than the pocket park that was originally proposed, Prime said.
The council voted 4-3 to deny the original proposal’s fiscal plan because of a “derogatory inference” made by Arbor Homes about Franklin schools in 2022, the possibility of Arbor Homes making a “bait-and-switch” with the Silverthorne homes, and the subdivision design.
In 2022, an Arbor Homes representative told the Bargersville Plan Commission they didn’t think Silverthorne would sell easily in a separate subdivision because the property was in the Franklin school district. The representative later clarified in a subsequent meeting that Silverthorne wouldn’t work with that project because of the market and property size compared to the necessary lot size for a Silverthorne home.
Attendees at public meetings expressed concerns with the earlier version of the project, including with traffic, water, sewage, drainage, and a “bait-and-switch” with providing Silverthorne homes.
In January, when the plan commission considered the newest version of the subdivision, some attendees believed the plan hadn’t substantially improved and maintained similar concerns as the original plan. Still, the plan commission unanimously forwarded a favorable recommendation for the new plan to the city council.
On Monday, at the city council meeting, one person spoke during public comment. She was concerned about who would have liability if a person fell into an existing pond near the proposed subdivision and she recommended that Arbor Homes put a fence around the pond.
However, Prime said he doesn’t think the proposed subdivision would make the pond more of a liability, especially with the development’s own retention pond. There is no liability if a person is trespassing, he said.
Council member Ken Austin asked what would happen with dead trees near the proposed sidewalk along Umbarger Lane. He said some homeowners on County Road 75 are concerned about the trees. Prime said trees that need to be removed during construction would be.
Austin also brought up the concerns over a “bait-and-switch” on Silverthorne homes. Joanna Tennell, the city’s planning director, clarified that Arbor Homes has made a commitment to provide that amount of Silverthorne homes or another comparable product.
If the company does not comply with commitments, the planning department could deny building permits, Tennell said. Even after a rezoning and a primary plat is approved, each home in a neighborhood is still built under an individual permit that is approved by the planning department and must be built to the city’s standards and applicable zoning commitments.
Additionally, council members asked when the development would start construction if approved and whether there would be a noise barrier built for the homes near the interstate. Tony Bagato, director of land entitlements at Arbor Homes, said there are no plans to build a noise barrier. He also said the company is hoping to break ground before the end of the year and start building homes by spring 2027.
Regarding the noise barrier, Gray added, “That requires INDOT approval, and they will not do it. It’s exceedingly expensive … and they want to keep that open area there.”
Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett took time on Monday to address House Enrolled Act 1001 of 2026, which he said would have prevented public hearings for subdivisions like Arbor Homes’ if local officials throughout the state hadn’t spoken up.
“This meeting right here is a perfect example,” Barnett said. “If that legislation would have passed, Arbor [Homes] or any other builder [could build what they wanted] … I do believe that that’s not done yet … They’re going to come back in the next year and try to [put] some more onto it [to] take away our rights as citizens to have these kind of meetings.”
Copyright (©) 2026 Daily Journal (Franklin) eEdition