McKay's Mill in 60 Seconds
McKay's Mill is a 540-acre master-planned community in east Franklin (zip 37067), located about 2 miles east of I-65 and Cool Springs Boulevard off the McEwen Drive and Liberty Pike corridor, with roughly 1,500–1,700 homes built across 30-plus sections between 2000 and 2014.
The fast facts:
- Where: East Franklin, TN 37067, between Cool Springs and the Clovercroft Road area, with primary access via McEwen Drive and Liberty Pike
- Size: 540 acres; sources cite between roughly 1,500 and 1,700+ homes across 30+ platted sections
- Built: 2000–2014, fully built out: no new construction
- Home types: Single-family (the large majority), villas, townhomes, and condos
- Prices: Roughly $415K (condo) to $1.4M+ (custom sections) over the past 12 months, with a median around $795K
- The vibe: Sidewalks everywhere, mature trees, kids on bikes, a walkable town center with its own Publix, and a genuinely active HOA social calendar
If Franklin neighborhoods were a family, McKay's Mill would be the dependable sibling who somehow also throws the best pool parties. It isn't the flashiest or the newest. It's the one that works, day in and day out, which is exactly why it trades so consistently.
The thing that catches buyers here isn't usually the house. It's the spread. People tour two homes that look nearly identical from the curb and can't square why one is priced hundreds of thousands above the other, until we sit down with the section-level comps and it clicks. McKay's Mill rewards buyers who understand it's really thirty-plus micro-markets wearing one name, and that's the single piece of context I find myself teaching on almost every first showing.
The HOA: What Dues Cover and What They Cost
McKay's Mill HOA dues range from roughly $79/month for standard single-family sections up to about $440/month for villa and condo sections that include exterior maintenance, with a median around $111/month across recent closings, and they fund one of the most complete amenity packages in the 37067 zip code.
What dues cover for everyone in the master association:
- The Olympic-size saltwater pool (plus kiddie pool area): the social heart of the neighborhood every summer
- A 5,000 sq ft clubhouse and fitness center on Habersham Way, which residents can also rent for private events
- Tennis courts, playgrounds, and pocket parks spread throughout the sections
- Three distinct walking trails plus internal trail connections that link sections without touching a main road
- Common-area landscaping and maintenance across the community's green space
The structure matters when you're buying here. There's a master association plus sub-associations: McKay's Mill Master and Single Family are managed by CMA (Community Management Associates) in Franklin; the Villas of Montgomery Place have their own CMA-managed association; and the Park Run condos are managed separately by Metropolitan Property Management. That's why dues vary so widely: a Park Run condo owner is paying for exterior maintenance and insurance a single-family owner isn't. Always pull the exact dues for the specific section before you write an offer; I've seen buyers budget off the wrong tier.
The HOA also enforces a design review process for exterior changes . It's mildly annoying when you want to repaint your shutters, genuinely valuable when you're the one selling and the whole street still looks cohesive after 20 years.
The Homes: Sections, Styles, and Prices
McKay's Mill spans more price points and home types than any comparable Franklin master-planned community: over the past 12 months, closings ran from $415,000 for condos to $1,425,000 in the custom sections, with a community median around $795,000.
The sections. The community was platted in 30-plus sections over 14 years, and section is the single most important pricing variable here, more than square footage. Named areas buyers will encounter include Towne Park (an upper-tier single-family section), Haddon Hall (executive-style homes), the Villas of Montgomery Place (lock-and-leave villas), and Park Run (one-level condos). Recent section-level medians ranged from roughly $622,750 in the most affordable single-family sections up to $1.15M–$1.18M in the custom-home sections.
The styles. Traditional architecture dominates: all-brick and partial-brick exteriors at a higher rate than most Franklin subdivisions of the same era, with rocking-chair front porches, hardwoods on the main level, gas fireplaces, and two- or three-car garages. Two-story plans are the norm, but ranch and primary-down floor plans exist in several sections and command real premiums because supply is thin.
The numbers (rolling 12 months through mid-2026):
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Sale price range | $415,000 – $1,425,000 |
| Median sale price | ~$795,000 |
| Price per sq ft | $203 – $392 (median ~$267) |
| Square footage | 1,352 – 5,953 sq ft (median ~3,007) |
| Lot sizes | 0.08 – 0.41 acres |
| Most active band | $700,000 – $900,000 |
Lots are modest by Williamson County standards: this is a sidewalk-and-neighbors community, not an acreage community. If you want a flat acre, look elsewhere; if you want to walk to the pool, this is the trade.
My section advice starts with life stage, not price: families gravitate toward the interior single-family streets near the amenity campus, downsizers toward the Villas of Montgomery Place and the thin supply of primary-down plans, and buyers stretching for top-tier finish toward areas like Towne Park and Haddon Hall. Then we get granular, because in a community this size the street matters as much as the section: what a lot backs to, how close it sits to the through-roads, and how water moves across it in a hard rain. Those are walk-the-lot conversations, and I'd rather have them with you standing in the yard than in a paragraph.
Location and Commute
McKay's Mill sits about 2 miles east of I-65 in east Franklin, which puts the Cool Springs employment and retail corridor a few minutes away, downtown Franklin roughly 10 minutes away, and downtown Nashville approximately 25 minutes up I-65 in normal traffic.
The location math that makes this neighborhood work:
- I-65: The on-ramp is roughly a three-minute drive via McEwen Drive
- Cool Springs: The Galleria, Whole Foods, Target, and Costco along McEwen Drive are within walking or biking distance of many McKay's Mill addresses, a genuinely rare feature in Franklin at this price tier
- Downtown Nashville: ~25 minutes via I-65 in typical conditions
- Downtown Franklin: About 10 minutes west
- Highway 96 (Murfreesboro Road): Runs south of the neighborhood, giving a second route toward downtown Franklin and east toward Arrington and Triune
The honest caveat: McEwen Drive and the I-65 interchange back up at peak commute times, like everywhere in Cool Springs. But compared to west Franklin neighborhoods that funnel through Hillsboro Road or Highway 96 West, McKay's Mill residents have more routing options and a much shorter run to the interstate.
Daily Life: Schools Zoning, Parks, and Shopping
Daily life in McKay's Mill revolves around three things: the school run, the amenity loop, and the fact that you can walk to a Publix. The neighborhood's own Village Center puts groceries, restaurants, childcare, and medical offices inside the community itself.
Schools. Most McKay's Mill homes have recently been zoned for Clovercroft Elementary, Fred J. Page Middle, and Centennial High School, with a handful of edge sections assigned to Liberty Elementary or Freedom Middle/Intermediate. Important: Williamson County Schools rezones periodically as the county grows, and in a 30-section community, assignments can vary street by street. Always verify the current zoning for a specific address directly with Williamson County Schools before you buy. For the full district picture, see our guide to Williamson County schools.
The Village Center (Towne Centre). This is the feature that separates McKay's Mill from nearly every other Franklin neighborhood in its price range: a roughly 60,000 sq ft retail center at Liberty Pike and Oxford Glen Drive with a Publix, medical offices, childcare, and restaurants including El Sombrero, Jet's Pizza, and New China, reachable by internal sidewalk and trail without crossing a main road.
Parks and recreation. Inside the neighborhood: the pool complex, clubhouse gym, tennis courts, playgrounds, pocket parks, and three walking trails. Beyond the gates (metaphorically speaking, it's not gated), the broader Cool Springs corridor and Franklin's park system are minutes away.
Community life. The HOA runs a real social calendar: the annual Kids 4th of July Parade and summer pool parties with BBQ are neighborhood institutions, publicized through the HOA's own site and newsletter.
On a summer Saturday showing, this neighborhood does most of the selling before we're through the front door. The sidewalks are actually in use: bikes, strollers, people walking to the pool or the Publix, and buyers notice, because plenty of communities have sidewalks and very few have foot traffic. I've learned to schedule first-time McKay's Mill showings for the hours when the neighborhood is out living in itself; it tells the truth about the place faster than I can.
How the McKay's Mill Resale Market Behaves
McKay's Mill is one of the most actively traded communities in Franklin, with 53–56 closings over the past 12 months, and well-priced homes move fast: one MLS-based dataset shows a 15-day median days-on-market, while Redfin's broader average (which includes overpriced listings that sit) runs around 41 days.
That gap between the median and the average tells you everything about how this market works. McKay's Mill is a two-speed market:
- Priced to the section, turnkey condition: Under contract in days, often with multiple offers. Recent sold listings here openly note "multiple offers received."
- Priced to the community median when the home sits in a lower-priced section, or dated finishes at a premium price: These are the listings that sit for 60+ days and take price cuts, dragging the average DOM up.
Because the community spans a ~$1M price range across 30+ sections, pricing off "the McKay's Mill median" is the most common mistake I see, from both sellers and out-of-area agents. A home in a section trading around $620K and a home in a section trading around $1.15M can look surprisingly similar from the curb.
What buyers fight over here:
- Primary-down and ranch floor plans: thin supply, deep demand from downsizers and multi-generational buyers
- Homes backing to tree lines or ponds rather than neighboring rooflines
- Walkable-to-Village-Center positions on the interior street network
- Cul-de-sac lots in the family-heavy sections
- Renovated kitchens and baths: with a $203–$392/sq ft spread driven largely by condition, renovation level is a bigger price lever here than in newer neighborhoods
Redfin data showed median sale prices up roughly 4.5% year-over-year in recent readings . That's steady appreciation rather than boom-bust, which is exactly the pattern you'd expect from a fully built-out neighborhood with no new-construction competition inside its own borders.
Pricing to the section is the whole game here, on both sides of the table. Sellers who anchor to their own section's comps draw the crowd; sellers who anchor to the community median either leave money on the table or sit for two months wondering why. For buyers in competition, the discipline I insist on is setting the walk-away number before offers are due. A turnkey ranch or a tree-lined cul-de-sac lot will draw a crowd every time, and the win is knowing in advance whether this is the house worth stretching for or the one to let go.
If you own here and want to know what your specific section, not the community median, says your home is worth, start with a professional home valuation.
Who McKay's Mill Fits, and Who It Doesn't
McKay's Mill fits buyers who want an established, amenity-rich, sidewalk-connected neighborhood with genuine walkability to groceries and Cool Springs at a $600K–$1.4M price point. It doesn't fit buyers who want acreage, privacy from neighbors, new construction, or freedom from HOA oversight.
It's a strong fit if you want:
- A true community feel: pool parties, a 4th of July parade, neighbors you'll actually know
- Walkability to a grocery store and restaurants without leaving the neighborhood, nearly unique in Franklin at this price tier
- A short hop to I-65 and Cool Springs for commuting
- A range of price points, so you can trade up (or downsize) without leaving the neighborhood
- Mature trees and a settled streetscape you can't get in new construction
It's the wrong fit if you want:
- Land. Lots top out around 0.41 acres and most are far smaller
- A brand-new home. The newest homes here are from 2014: budget for roofs, HVAC, and water heaters accordingly
- No HOA. Between the master association and design review, this is a managed community by design
- Total quiet. You're two miles from a major retail corridor; that convenience cuts both ways
McKay's Mill vs. Fieldstone Farms: The comparison I'm asked about most. Fieldstone Farms is McKay's Mill's west-side counterpart, another large, amenity-driven master-planned community, but on the Hillsboro Road side of town, built earlier, feeding different schools, and oriented toward west Franklin and the Highway 96 West corridor. The practical difference is direction and era: Fieldstone Farms buyers are usually optimizing for west Franklin and its school feeders; McKay's Mill buyers are optimizing for Cool Springs access, I-65, and the walkable Village Center. Similar community DNA, different sides of the map. For how both fit into the bigger picture, see our complete Franklin, TN relocation guide.
Because McKay's Mill is my primary farm neighborhood, much of my business happens inside these 540 acres, which means I usually know which homes are coming to market before they hit the MLS, and which sections a specific buyer should target. If you're considering a move in or out of McKay's Mill, reach out for a conversation. No pressure, and I'll tell you honestly if it's not the right fit.
