By RACHEL STULTS
Staff Writer

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FRANKLIN — It was the stark white walls of Nicole Cochran's former residence that were a glaring reminder that her home wasn't actually her own.

She still remembers those blank walls when thinking about her Cool Springs apartment, and remembers that they were much of the reason why last year she chose to move into a Nolensville house — a place she could decorate as she pleased. A place where she wanted to stay awhile. A place that felt like home.

"Most times, apartments are geared toward and thought of for people who are either in college or just right out of college and don't really have a desire to nest," Cochran said.

But today, Cochran sees that mentality changing in Williamson County with a new set of apartments that will go up as part of Southern Land Co.'s McEwen development in Cool Springs, adjacent to the new McEwen interchange.

Developers and interior designers with Southern Land Co. are in the midst of holding focus groups with high-end apartment managers and dwellers to get feedback about the right way to build them in Williamson County, allowing residents and managers to weigh in on everything from wall color to cabinetry to flooring in the upscale apartment complex.

"None of us are offering that in our market right now," said Shelley Horton, property manager at Wyndchase Aspen Grove apartments in Cool Springs. "That makes it more of a home. There's a lot of services that make it more like a home than a place you're just renting."

The result is a new breed of apartments that target anyone from young professionals to families who are looking for a high-end living experience where ownership isn't necessary.

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For years, the word "apartment" has been taboo among Franklin leaders and planners, often stigmatized as "train wrecks" or "stack-a-shacks."

Although upscale loft-style apartments situated above retail and office space have become increasingly popular across the county, the idea of an apartment complex hasn't sparked the same kind of response from city leaders and planners.

"There may be a misconception that only riffraff rent apartments, but there are lots of young professionals who rent apartments and married couples and families," said Franklin Planning Commissioner Chris Ude, who has been a vocal advocate of for-rent living in the city.

They've been viewed as a transient place for people who don't have the money to own, he said. And they've been few and far between in Williamson County, with many of them ultimately converting into condominiums shortly after they're built.

Spring Hill has only a couple of options. Brentwood and Nolensville have none, but both have been flirting with the idea of loft apartments in their downtown districts.

Complexes in Franklin such as the Bramblewood Apartments on Columbia Avenue have been torn down after becoming a blight to the city, and are now being replaced with luxury town houses.

It took years before complexes such as Wyndchase Aspen Grove and the Alara apartments in Cool Springs were built, touting a luxury feel to apartment living.

But a decade has passed, and no apartment complexes have come since. Until now.

In addition to loft-style apartments situated above retail and office space in McEwen, Southern Land Co. is building a complex of 200-300 apartments.

Developers with the company say the recipe for success lies in the details of their idea.

"We are focused on making these apartments so that people don't think they're just a stop along the way," said Jim Cheney, a spokesman for Southern Land Co. "When people see the design and feel of these apartments, we hope their reaction will be that there's a lot more to them than typical generic apartment complex."

By allowing residents a say in how their apartment will look and feel, and by offering shopping and restaurants and workspace just across the street from the McEwen apartments, developers say they're creating a home-like feeling — a community that encourages people to stay awhile.

"We don't want apartment buildings to be branded as apartment buildings that stand alone in the middle of the neighborhood," Cheney said. "Developers have been doing this all over country — New York, Boston, Georgetown. This is how they were built, so you don't isolate the components of day-to-day life. You put them all together."

Developers want combo

Apartment complexes in Franklin have come a long distance, but are more on the way?

City records show 61 multifamily units started in Franklin last year — all owner-occupied condominiums — the first time in years that Franklin has permitted multifamily housing, said Gary Luffman, city codes director.

Across the county, condominiums and loft-style apartments have been included in plans for mixed-use developments such as Boyle Investment Co.'s Berry Farms project in Goose Creek and Gateway Village on Franklin Road.

But no apartment complexes.

Crescent Resources' mixed-use development east of Interstate 65, near the new Nissan North America headquarters, has been zoned for 428 apartments, according to Pat Emery, senior vice president for the Tennessee region of Crescent Resources.

Whether those apartments will stay apartments or convert to condominiums, developers have yet to decide, Emery said.

"We keep planning and re-planning right now because the market in Cool Springs is an ever-changing market," Emery said. "The population of people who are working, shopping and playing in Cool Springs — that demographic is also changing.

"I think the market is driving a lot of developments toward owner-occupied housing versus for-rent housing, but it depends on what the residential real estate market continues to do and whether mortgage rates continue to stay low. But we need a combination of rental and for sale."

Franklin Alderman Robert Kriebel doesn't see that need. Franklin has enough for-rent options and the city should be pushing owner-occupied housing, he says.

"We have so many apartments and I think one of the goals is work-force housing and that doesn't help that goal," Kriebel said. "People need to be able to own it and have equity and be able to start a career."

The debate is likely to go on, but for-rent advocates say they hope Southern Land's McEwen apartments are setting the tone for more to come into the mix.

"I would like to see the change," Chris Ude said. "Hopefully it's the start of a new trend and will give other developers the encouragement to try."