Nolensville's Next Decade of Building Is Mostly Spoken For. Who Pays for It Isn't.

On Thursday, July 30, Beazer Homes held a ribbon cutting at the model home of The Mill at McFarlan, its newest Nolensville community. The plan calls for 444 homes in two product lines. Cottage homes run from about 2,200 to 2,800 square feet and estate homes from about 2,500 to more than 3,700. Beazer Homes President Geoff Hart used the ceremony to thank the town's Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission. The Williamson Herald reported that the estate series was on sale, the cottage series was expected in the spring, and some homes had already sold.

The homes going up in Nolensville now, The Mill at McFarlan among them, were mostly approved before sewer capacity tightened, so the town's near-term supply is largely fixed. How to pay for the roads, public safety and facilities that this growth requires is still open. If you're comparing Nolensville with other Williamson County towns, that open question deserves your attention more than the subdivision count does.

The approvals came before the sewer limit

At the April 2025 Nolensville Address, Town Manager Victor Lay said development approvals had "essentially halted" because of sewer capacity. He reported that the two Metro sewer lines running through town were at 80% capacity, which is Metro's threshold for accepting more development plans. Metro Water and Sewer told the town it would not allow future development approvals until it reached agreements with TDEC and expanded capacity, which it expected to take about three years. In the same address, Lay said this would not stop growth in the short term. The town had already approved a number of projects, including about 2,200 homes to be completed over the next decade. The Williamson Herald covered the address.

The town's planning process page still requires Metro documentation confirming adequate sewer capacity before a development moves forward. A 2026 Herald commentary described the sewer moratorium as something that could block new residential and commercial development for up to three years.

So for the next several years, new construction in Nolensville comes from a list of communities that already hold approvals:

• The Mill at McFarlan, Beazer Homes. It's planned for 444 homes. It is Beazer's third Nolensville community, after Whittmore and Lochridge.
• Fairington Phase 3A, Southern Land Company. A September 8, 2026 Planning Commission staff report covered 67 single-family lots and recommended approval of the final site plan. Grading and tree work were already underway. The phase was cut from 72 lots to stay within Fairington's 735-lot cap.
• The Darsey Property. On the town's 2025 development map, this Kroger-anchored project is listed at 211 residential units and 120,000 square feet of commercial space.

Fairington's lot reduction shows how the system works now. A builder adjusts phases within the total it was already allowed rather than seeking a larger one.

A sewer pause also slows the town's revenue

Fewer approvals don't only limit future subdivisions. They also cut into one of the town's income sources. The Williamson Herald commentary, written by a longtime resident, noted that building permit fees bring in upwards of $1 million a year. Those fees are paid when a building is certified for occupancy. The writer expected that revenue to become scarce once current projects finish, and expected it to take at least a couple of years after the moratorium lifts for significant permit revenue to return.

Sales tax can't easily make up the difference. In 2025, Lay described the town as having "no big boxes" and a small sales tax base. That has started to improve. At the April 30, 2026 Annual Address, as the Williamson Herald reported, Mayor Halie Gallik said Village Green, the Publix-anchored center that opened the previous November, had "a big impact to our town budget." Still, the commentary expected the Kroger-anchored development to take years to fully realize its added sales tax revenue.

The same sewer limit that keeps new subdivisions out also slows the revenue that new subdivisions usually bring in.

The $8 million question at the Court of Appeals

Road impact fees were the town's other way of making growth pay for itself. In December 2023, the Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee sued Nolensville. Williamson County Chancery Court ruled for the builders and found that the town lacked authority to impose the fees. The court ordered the town to return fees collected from Association members since August 6, 2020. The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to appeal, according to the Williamson Herald. The commentary explained the dispute: the town kept collecting road impact fees after switching to a commission form of government in 2020, and the builders argued the change ended its authority to do so.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals heard oral argument in docket M2025-01865-COA-R3-CV on August 5, 2026. At the April Annual Address, Gallik said that if the ruling stands, the town would have to return $8 million and lose its authority to collect the fees in the future. She said the fees "were designed to ensure that growth pays for itself rather than placing the burden solely on existing residents." She also said the outcome could significantly affect the town's ability to fund future road projects without raising taxes.

Put this next to the sewer pause and the effect compounds. Impact fees were meant to charge new construction for the road capacity it uses. If the appeal fails, existing property owners become the funding source the mayor described trying to avoid.

How this shows up on a tax bill

Nolensville has already raised its property tax rate once. In May 2025 the Board approved a first-reading budget with a proposed rate of $0.55 per $100 of assessed value, up from $0.29. The final increase was smaller, $0.15, which brought the rate to the $0.34 now posted on the town's property tax page. The FY2027 budget passed its final reading on June 4, 2026, and the town still posts $0.34.

Town residents also pay Williamson County's rate. The county adopted $1.30 per $100 for FY2026–27 on June 18, 2026. The Tennessee Comptroller explains the math: residential property is assessed at 25% of appraised value, and the tax equals the assessed value divided by 100, multiplied by the rate. The table below uses two values. The first is an illustrative $700,000 home. The second is Williamson County's Q3 2026 residential median of $1,075,000, which is a countywide figure and not a Nolensville one.

The town's share is small next to the county's. The more useful row for a buyer is the last one, because the town rate is where the open questions sit. The commentary listed nine capital projects planned over five years at about $44 million, five of them road projects. A new police building alone could cost as much as $17 million. The writer also reported that none of the five commissioners appeared inclined to raise property taxes again this year, and that one had floated a special assessment earmarked for infrastructure. This is general information and not tax or financial advice. Confirm the figures for a specific property with the Williamson County Trustee and a qualified professional.

The road that won't change until 2036

The biggest item on that capital list moves slowly. TDOT's updated 10-year plan includes widening Nolensville Road from Sunset Road to Burkitt Road, with construction targeted for 2036 and up to $93.5 million in state funding. The planned road has three lanes, curb and gutter, and a 10-foot shared-use path. Nolensville committed $500,000 for preliminary engineering and environmental review in 2027 and $10.5 million toward construction, according to the town's announcement. Gallik put the full project at $104.5 million, against a normal town operating budget of close to $12 million. She said right-of-way acquisition starts in 2030.

She was direct about it in 2025: "we will not have meaningful expansion to Nolensville Road anytime soon." Until then, improvements come at individual intersections. Gallik said a temporary signal at Kidd Road would begin this summer. TDOT scheduled the Williams Road entrance at Nolensville Pike to close October 12 through 16 for shoulder work tied to signal and intersection improvements between Sanford Road and Summerlyn Drive. The 2,200 approved homes will be finished on today's road, not on the widened one.

What this changes when you choose a home here

Nolensville's supply story makes for an unusual comparison. A buyer who wants new construction is choosing among a set group of approved communities, such as The Mill at McFarlan and the remaining Fairington phases, and that group will not grow much while the sewer constraint holds. A buyer considering an existing home is buying into a town whose cost of growth is still being decided in three places: the appeals court, the commission's budget votes and TDOT's schedule.

The town is still spending on public amenities in the meantime. It broke ground October 1 on Chrismon-Brown Park, 20 acres at 1686 Sunset Road with a multipurpose field, basketball and tennis courts, restrooms and a walking trail, supported by a $1.2 million state parks grant. The site is also planned to hold the future police headquarters. When that headquarters gets funded, its cost will run through the same budget this post has been describing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the sewer constraint stop the homes already under construction? The town's 2025 statement drew that line clearly. Previously approved projects, about 2,200 homes, were expected to proceed over the next decade. New approvals were what stopped.

Would losing the impact-fee case raise property taxes automatically? The mayor said the outcome could affect the town's ability to fund road projects without raising taxes, which describes pressure on the budget rather than a set rate. The 2025 increase went through the Board of Commissioners' budget readings, as the Williamson Herald reported.

Is the Nolensville Road widening already funded? It is programmed in TDOT's 10-year plan with up to $93.5 million in state funding and a town share of $10.5 million. Construction is targeted for 2036.

If you're deciding between a new home at one of Nolensville's approved communities and an established home elsewhere in Williamson County, The Milam Group can work through the carrying-cost math with you property by property, including what each added cent on the town rate would mean for your budget. Schedule a Personalized Market Consultation, and we'll put the numbers side by side.