The flat field at Old Smyrna Road and Jones Parkway was a runway first. Wilbur Sensing used it for his single-engine airplane back when the land was part of his and Lucy Sensing's Windy Hill Farm. Today a playground built around an airplane theme stands on that field, along with a mural of one of his former planes painted on the old hangar.
Windy Hill Park turns one year old on December 13. That makes this its first full fall. The trail loops and the playground get most of the attention, but the bigger story is just outside the gate. The city has adopted a plan that turns the narrow, stone-walled stretch of Old Smyrna Road into a walking and biking path that leads into the park. Once that's built, people can walk to the park from their front doors.
A park with no schedule
Most Brentwood parks run on a calendar of games and reservations. Windy Hill was designed without one. The City of Brentwood's park page calls it a 52-acre passive park and says there are "no planned athletic fields or programs for this location." Its one small shelter can't be reserved. It's free on a first-come, first-served basis, and the city's shelter request page lists Windy Hill as off-limits for large-group bookings.
What the city did build there:
- A 400-meter loop track and workout stations
- A paved trail tied into Brentwood's greenway system, designed by ESP Associates at 10 feet wide
- The airplane-themed playground and the hangar mural
- Picnic shelters and restrooms
- Parking lots at the north and south entrances
- Historical signage about the farm and the families who worked it
The park is open daily from dawn to dusk, so closing time shifts with the season. In late fall, evening laps on the loop end earlier than they did in September. Dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than six feet, and owners clean up after them.
That stripped-down design was a choice. According to the city, the park serves more than 1,900 homes in Brentwood's northern section. The plan was a place for a daily walk, not a weekend tournament site. For now, most visitors arrive by car at one of the two lots.
The farm that set the edges
The park's boundaries come from a single sale. In May 2020, Brentwood bought the 52 acres from the Sensing family for $5.2 million, or $100,000 an acre. The money came from the city's General Fund balance, Adequate Facilities Taxes, and $150,000 that the nonprofit Brentwood Green Space had raised for future parkland.
The family's other 40 acres include the Constantine Sneed Historic House, a pond, and outbuildings. That land is going into a conservation easement, which preserves all 92 acres for good. The house is the original Windy Hill. Constantine Perkins Sneed built it after coming home from the War of 1812, on a high point off Old Smyrna Road between Wilson and Edmondson Pikes. The bricks are laid in a Flemish pattern and were made on the property. So were the bricks for Old Smyrna Church.
The city's park page carries the Sensings' own words about the land:
"We have enjoyed the pastoral beauty of Windy Hill for the past 45 years and now are thankful it will be preserved for all to enjoy."
The easement keeps the land beside the park open, and the narrow road that runs past it is the next piece the city plans to keep.
The 15-foot road the city decided to keep
Brentwood's engineering project covers Old Smyrna Road from Jones Parkway to the city limit. The trouble spot is the western section, about three-quarters of a mile long. It's 15 feet wide, with stone walls, retaining walls, and large trees right at the edge of the pavement. Most modern two-lane roads are wider than that.
The city showed residents three design concepts on Aug. 18, 2025. In Option A, the historic road stays where it is and becomes a path for walking and biking. A new two-lane road would be built north of it, with a roundabout at Jones Parkway. The concept presentation says the stone wall would need nine openings for driveways, and the removed stones would be restacked within the corridor. The same presentation shows the new path connecting to Windy Hill Park.
The public vote wasn't close. A City of Brentwood release from Oct. 14, 2025 reported that 86% of meeting attendees chose Option A. So did 82% of Old Smyrna Road residents and 90% of residents in the surrounding area. The release said five trees would come out, and three of them were in poor condition.
The Williamson Herald put it this way: the existing road "would become a linear park connecting new and existing homes in the area to Windy Hill Park." Right now, the park's trail starts at its own parking lots. Once the project is built, the walk to the park would start at front doors along Old Smyrna Road.
Where the project stands this fall
The plan has moved through one formal step after another since residents picked Option A. Projections sit in the right-hand column of this table, so don't read them as promises.
| Step | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Residents see three design concepts | Aug. 18, 2025 | Done |
| Option A results published | Oct. 14, 2025 | Done |
| Windy Hill Park opens | Dec. 13, 2025 | Done |
| Phase I design contract with Sullivan Engineering, $694,616 | Feb. 9, 2026 | Approved |
| FY2027–2031 Capital Improvements Program adopted | June 22, 2026 | Approved |
| Commission approves starting right-of-way and easement acquisition | September 2026 | Approved unanimously |
| Right-of-way acquisition begins | Early 2027 | Expected, per city documents |
| Project goes out for bids | May 2027 | Projected |
| Construction begins | Before summer 2027, if the schedule holds | Projected |
At the Feb. 9 meeting, Sullivan Engineering said the first phase would begin at the Jones Parkway roundabout and rejoin the old road about 450 feet east of the Harlan subdivision. The September vote lets Sullivan start negotiating with the two property owners whose land the construction would affect. The new road would have 11-foot lanes.
The schedules don't all line up. Sullivan's presentation projected bidding in May 2027. The adopted capital plan puts construction money in fiscal years 2028 and 2029, and the city revises that plan every year. A second phase, from Harlan to the Davidson County line, depends on how the city sets priorities later. For now, the old road stays a road. This fall, and probably next spring too, the narrow section looks the way it has for decades.
Smaller changes coming inside the park
The park itself has some unfinished items. Brentwood's FY2027 budget sets aside $95,000 for work that wasn't part of the original construction. The money covers fencing to stop cars from driving between the north and south lots, a concrete pad behind the restroom building, and restoring the northern stone wall. That stone wall work lines up with the road project's plan to restack wall stones along the corridor. Both projects keep the stone walls in place.
Trail rules matter more as more people show up on wheels. The city's Safely Share the Paths guidance sets a 15 mph limit on park trails. It allows only Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes and e-scooters, bans throttle use in city parks, and asks riders to slow to 5 mph when they pass pedestrians. On a 400-meter loop shared by strollers, runners, and kids on bikes, the 5 mph passing rule comes up a lot.
The first anniversary, in practice
About 150 residents came to the opening on Dec. 13, 2025, according to the city's year-in-review. The Williamson Herald's photo gallery from that morning shows families crowding the playground and walkers and runners already out on the paths. The city hasn't put an anniversary event on its calendar, which suits a park designed to have no events.
For a visit this season, the north and south lots are still the way in. The hangar mural is the easiest landmark to meet at. The park's designer describes the setting as rolling hills with pastoral views of Old Windy Hill Farm and its historic homesite. And the 15-foot road you drive in on is the stretch Brentwood has voted to give back to people on foot.
If you're in north Brentwood and wondering what Old Smyrna Road's next few years could mean for your street, your commute, or the value of being close to a park, we're happy to talk it through. Reach out to The Ville Real Estate Co. and we'll keep you posted as the project moves from right-of-way talks to construction. Contact Us.
