Nolensville needs to acquire roughly 135 acres of parkland to catch up with comparable communities, Commissioner Tyler Carpenter wrote in an op-ed published on the Friends of Nolensville Parks website.

Carpenter, citing the Nolensville Parks Master Plan, said the town has approximately 1.6 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. That figure includes land not yet developed into functional parks and excludes county parks. Even counting county parks, the total rises by only about 1 acre per 1,000 residents, he wrote.

The gap matters because Nolensville is growing fast.

Between 2020 and 2023, the town's population grew by more than 20 percent, according to Carpenter. He wrote that more than 2,000 homes have already been approved. If those homes are built as expected, the town could add 9,000 or more residents, an increase of more than 40 percent over the next decade.

"As an elected official, I see firsthand how difficult it can be to balance those competing needs while also planning for what Nolensville will need five, 10 or 20 years from now," Carpenter wrote.

Parks investments compete for the same limited municipal dollars as staffing, roads, public safety and public works, he wrote. A growing town must first fund essential services and infrastructure before turning to green space.

A nonprofit alternative

Carpenter pointed to Friends of Nolensville Parks (FONP) as a way to bring in resources without relying solely on the municipal budget. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit launched Jan. 7 with a founding board of local volunteers.

The nonprofit can pursue grants, accept donations and organize volunteers to back park projects alongside the town, according to its launch announcement.

Carpenter wrote that an informal community survey conducted as part of the Streetscapes and Public Spaces Advisory Committee's work on the Parks Master Plan found residents were more willing to make voluntary contributions toward parks than to support a tax increase for the same purpose.

"FONP gives residents, businesses and community partners another way to invest in the parks they care about," Carpenter wrote. The organization can channel private donations, grants, business partnerships and volunteer efforts toward projects that benefit the community, he said.

Carpenter added that the town has already taken steps to support FONP. He said he sees an opportunity for residents, businesses and other partners to play a larger role in building the parks system Nolensville will need as it grows.