Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Jan 21, 2015

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 
September 17, 2014, June 18, 2014

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS 
– This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting is being recorded by Franklin Matters.

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

1. Resolution 15-02: Authorization to join Bellingham for the FY 2015 CDBG Program Application
2. Resolution 15-03: Declaration of Town-Owned Land at 150 Emmons Street (Old Municipal Bldg. Property) as Surplus and Available for Disposition
3. Resolution 15-04:Authorization for Disposition (Sale) of Town Owned Land @ 150 Emmons Street(Old Municipal Bldg. Property)
4. Resolution 15-05: Appropriation: Town Administration: Legal Expenses
5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 15-745: Amendment to Chapter 185, Attachment 7, Part VI, Use Regulation Schedule, Residential Uses, Office Zoning District – 2ND Reading

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

L. OLD BUSINESS

M. NEW BUSINESS

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION 
– Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

P. ADJOURN

150 Emmons St, Franklin, MA - subject of decision to sell or not

The full set of documents released for this meeting can be found here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/012115.pdf

RESOLUTION 15-04: Authorization For Disposition (Sale) Town-Owned Land At 150 Emmons Street

RESOLUTION 15-04

AUTHORIZATION FOR DISPOSITION (SALE) TOWN-OWNED LAND

AT 150 EMMONS STREET (OLD MUNICIPAL BUILDING PROPERTY)

WHEREAS, Town owns a parcel of land containing 34,795 square feet more orless at the corner of Emmons and West Central Streets, shown on Franklin Assessors Map 279 as Parcel 36 (Title ref: Norfolk Registry Book 655, Page 411) containing the currently-vacant former Municipal Building, and 

WHEREAS, Town Council, by Resolution 15-03, has declared said parcel to besurplus and available for disposition subject to a reserved easement shown on “Exhibit 1” attached thereto for public green space to include a statue of Horace Mann, together with appropriate plantings and public amenities, and 

WHEREAS, pursuant to G.L. Chapter 30B, Section16, Town previously obtainedan appraisal and subsequently issued several Requests for Proposals (RFP's), thelatest being issued on or about September 10, 2014, which proposal contained aminimum bid price of four hundred, seventy-five thousand dollars, and 

WHEREAS, one prospective developer-purchaser Roger V. Calarese submitteda responsive proposal to the latest RFP and Town Council has evaluated said proposal and heard a public presentation from the developer purchaser, 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE TOWN OF FRANKLINACTING BY AND THROUGH ITS TOWN COUNCIL: 

1. Determines that the proposal of Roger V. Calarese (hereinafter: “Calarese”) to pay the Town of Franklin the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars for the subject property and to construct either a single-story retail and office building thereon, as more fully described in his proposal and, more specifically, as shown on a conceptual plan captioned “Office and Retail Concept Plan of Land for 150Emmons Street in Franklin, Massachusetts” dated December 30, 2014, or, in alternative, to construct a single-story bank building with accessory vehicular drive through, as more fully described in his proposal and, more specifically, as shown on a conceptual plan captioned “Concept #7 Plan of Land for 150 Emmons Street in Franklin, Massachusetts” dated August 19, 2014 is advantageous to the Town and accepts same, subject to the provisions of the following paragraphs. 

2. Votes to dispose of the subject property by selling it to Calarese for the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars subject to a reserved easement on a portion of said parcel to maintain the public green space, including a statue of Horace Mann, together with appropriate plantings and public amenities in accordance with Resolution 15-03 and “Exhibit 1” thereto, conditioned upon Calarese's execution, within sixty days, of a purchase and sales agreement and/or landdisposition/development agreement containing terms and language consistent with Town's RFP and otherwise satisfactory to Town, both to ensure Town's timely receipt of the full purchase price and that the property is developed consistent with Town's RFP and Calarese's proposal within a reasonable time period; without limiting the foregoing, the agreement shall provide for exhaustion of reasonable efforts to develop retail and office building on property prior to proceeding with development of bank building, and shall prohibit any vehicular drive-through, except as accessory to bank building and operation. 

3. Directs the Town Administrator, with the assistance of the Town Attorney, to prepare and execute a purchase and sales agreement, land  disposition/development agreement, deed and such other documents as he determines to be necessary, both to effectuate the sale of the subject property by Town to Calarese and to ensure that the subject property is developed consistent with Town's RFP and Calarese's proposal and the provisions of this resolution. 

This Resolution shall become effective according to the rules and regulations ofthe Town of Franklin Home Rule Charter.

150 Emmons St

The text of resolution 15-04 was copied from pages 18-19 as released for the Town Council agenda for Jan 21, 2015
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/012115.pdf

RESOLUTION 15-03: Declaration Of Town-Owned Land At 150 Emmons Street as surplus

RESOLUTION 15-03

DECLARATION OF TOWN-OWNED LAND AT 150 EMMONS STREET

(OLD MUNICIPAL BUILDING PROPERTY) AS

SURPLUS AND AVAILABLE FOR DISPOSITION

WHEREAS, Town owns a parcel of land containing 34,795 square feet more or less at the corner of Emmons and West Central Streets, shown on Franklin Assessors Map 279 as Parcel 36 (Title ref: Norfolk Registry Book 655, Page 411) containing the currently-vacant former Municipal Building, as shown on "Exhibit 1" attached hereto, and 

WHEREAS, Town is not currently using and no longer intends to use said parcel for municipal purposes, with the exception of an area immediately abutting the intersection of Emmons and West Central Streets shown on said “Exhibit 1” which Town intends to develop as a public green space to include a statue of Horace Mann, together
with appropriate plantings, and public amenities, 

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Franklin, acting by and through its Town Council, declares the parcel of Town-owned land described above and shown on "Exhibit 1" to be no longer needed for municipal purposes, except for the area of said parcel also described above, and therefore to be surplus and available for
disposition, subject to a reserved easement on said parcel, of the area immediately abutting the intersection of Emmons and West Central Streets shown on “Exhibit 1” which Town intends to develop as a public green space to include a statue of Horace Mann, together with appropriate plantings, and public amenities. 

This Resolution shall become effective according to the rules and regulations of the Town of Franklin Home Rule Charter.

150 Emmons St, the subject property

This was shared from page 16 of the document released for the Town Council agenda for Jan 21, 2015
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/012115.pdf

FM #108 - Emmons St RFP Discussion (audio)

The audio recording (podcast) for the Emmons St RFP discussion from Wednesday (Jan 7, 2015) night's Town Council meeting is available.

The run time is about 34 minutes.





You can also subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes = search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes

My notes from the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/live-reporting.html


Note: If you have any suggestions/corrections to make, please feel free to let me know.

Questions were raised, answers sought and opinions stated amid some tension

There was a full house in the Council Chambers on Wednesday evening. The meeting had officially opened at 6:00 PM and the Council went into Executive Session to discuss the negotiations on the fire fighter contract. Their meeting was held in the small conference room next to the Council Chambers to allow those arriving for the main meeting to enter the chambers. The Councilors filed in to the Chamber about 6:55 and got ready for the meeting.

The normal pledge of allegiance and moment of silence was skipped by Chairman Vallee as they "had already opened the meeting at 6:00".

The agenda was adjusted to include a motion by Councilor Kelly to officially vote on the Chairman. (Recall that the vote at the organization meeting in November was actually skipped at that time.

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/11/the-town-council-reorganizes-sort-of.html)

The minutes were approved from the Dec 17th session.

The change of manager for the liquor license for Artistry Kitchen was approved. As the use of the facility will be changing to a private function room until the new direction of the restaurant is ready to be re-opened, there needs to be an approval by the Planning Board. The use is different from that already approved. It is a minor deviation but does need to follow the process for approvals.

Former FinCom member Phyllis Messere Malcom was appointed to the Historical Commission.

"Community Development Grant"

There was a brief discussion on the possibility for Franklin to join in a "Community Development Grant" application. Bellingham is the lead community handling the paperwork and administration. Franklin and Hopedale are also possible partners. The measure will return to the Town Council in two weeks for approval.

Pond St zoning public hearing

The Pond St zoning public hearing opened. My notes from the long discussion are linked to. In brief, many of the questions and concerns raised were to gain assurances on what would be done. Right now, with the zoning change only, it is too early to say. Many folks don't understand the full process and the Council along with Jeff did not do a great job of explaining the process. My attempt at an overview would look like this:

• There is a second hearing for the zoning change. 
• If approved, the Economic Development Committee would then meet to draft the revisions to the new Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP is the official offer by the town of the property for sale. It would specify what could be done (within the zoning for the property) and what additional restrictions the Town may make to the purchaser.
• The RFP would be posted for a period of time.
• Responses, if any would be reviewed at the end of the period
• Depending upon the responses, there would be additional meetings at the EDC to make a recommendation to the Town Council to proceed with the sale or not
• If proceeding with the sale, then the Town Council would still hold meeting or meetings to decide (as done with the Emmons St property)
• All that before the developer would go before the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals and other town organizations to obtain the necessary permits and approvals.

There were some tense moments during the discussion as some of the answers to the community were not appropriate and some of the community objected (rightly so) to the body language of some of the members of the Council. Councilor Kelly addressed this during the Councilor Comments at the end of the meeting but long after much of the crowd had dispersed.


The Town Council did approve to move the zoning change to a second reading.

The audio recording for the Pond St discussion can be found here  https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/Hc9V86zk

Emmons St

former councilor Glen Jones and Town Administrator Jeff Nutting

Emmons St discussion

The Emmons St discussion took a surprising turn. It was anticipated to be perhaps a more contentious discussion as the drive through option seemed to be a 'done deal'. However, as revealed by Jeff Nutting. A meeting by the developer, Mr Calarese took place on Monday morning and the proposal was changed to removed the food drive through. He would like to retain rights to a bank drive through. That revelation took the wind out of most of the sails and those that spoke appreciated the change in face of significant community objection.

How the change will really look as the 'final' negotiations take place remains to be seen. The deal will come back before the Council to require a 2/3 vote. We'll be able to see how well the legalese is drafted to meet the community desires and the need for the town to obtain additional revenue.


The audio recording for the Emmons St segment of the meeting can be found here   https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HyDbqXQk

Town Administrator Reports

Almost lost within the events of the evening were the real drivers to the selling of the town property at both the Emmons St and Pond St locations. Jeff Nutting provides updates on the overall town goals and objectives for 2015, showing much progress and accomplishments. He also laid out the objectives for this year. He provided updates on the Master Plan and the Five Year Financial Forecast.

The forecast says FY 2016 should be ok but FY 2017 is another budget year where balancing the budget will present some problems.

This financial reason is the driving factor behind the moves to sell both the Pond St and Emmons St properties. The town needs to expand its taxable base to bring in additional revenue. The link to the agenda for the financial forecast can be found here  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/property-taxes-will-continue-to-be.html


The set of notes recorded live during the Town Council meeting can be found here:

• Live reporting - Closing

• Live reporting - Town Administrator annual report
• Live reporting: Emmons St discussion

• Live reporting: public hearing - Pond St property

• Live reporting: Artistry change of manager, Commun...

• Live Reporting: Town Council - Jan 7, 2015

"We're happy to that the food drive-through is now no longer on the table"

The local developer seeking to purchase a downtown property has changed his proposal to only include retail space after concerns were raised about the possibility for a drive-through restaurant at the site. 

Roger Calarese, developer of the Franklin Village Mall, submitted a proposal to raze the current building at 150 Emmons St. and replace it with a 5,300-square-foot commercial property. He had considered building a drive-through on the property, but cut it from the proposal in response to complaints from downtown business owners and residents. 

Calarese, who bid $500,000 for the property, has since taken the prospect of a restaurant drive-through off the table. However, he could still have a drive-through business there, such as a bank. His negotiations with a possible bank tenant, though, had fallen through. And it is unclear what type of retail business he now has in mind.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150108/NEWS/150107578/1994/NEWS#sthash.lSTkeHrx.dpuf

Live reporting: Emmons St discussion

Kelly recused himself from the discussion (but did not leave the room) (edited 1/8/15 based upon communication with a participant from the back of the room - Thanks!).

• 150 Emmons Street 

nutting - providing overview/summary
we did get one proposal, offered to change the proposal to just retail space

removing the drive through, it might still get altered a little in the Planning Board process; there would be no fast food drive through, he did reserve right to a bank drive thru

i would recommend that the Council move forward with that

Attnorney Cornetta, Mr Calarese regrets he could not attend

one of the biggest concerns was with a special permit for the drive through from the Planning Board, it would be a burden to the area, he has considered that, would like retain the rights to considered an acceptable drive through for the area

Steve Sherlock - spoke of the Franklin Matters survey results made available to the Council and to the public just before the meeting

Lisa Piana - Downtown Partnership

happy to see that Mr Calarese has heard the concerns of the residents, we would prefer to have no drive through but are happy to see no food drive through

Glen Jones - former councilor, former chair of EDC

this particular piece of property is to be a gateway, I am not found of drive through as I live two blocks from it. All the walking traffic for Dean will be re-routed to this intersection, any drive through would clog this area immensely. I am pleased to see that the monument is kept and the drive through is removed.

Dennis - I came prepared to argue against the proposal but I am glad to see that the proposal has changed. The downtown is over represented by banks, and not a draw for enough diversity

Cindy Rich - clarification on the drive through specification

Nutting - the doc would be signed as they go through the purchasing and permitting process. It will absolutely be in writting

Lisa Buccella - I try to keep up and it is almost a full time job. I read Steve's Franklin Matters, I try to keep up. Just because we are not here, this doesn't always represent us. How did I miss this change?

Nutting- most of the council had heard long and hard that the folks don't want the drive through, Mr Calarese came to my office Monday morning and said it would change the deal. Please talk about the entrances and exits. it is very dangerous. It has to go through the Planning Board, get a traffic study, the entrances don't make sense to put anywhere else

Greg Chalk - Dean College
we are pleased with the plan that has come forward, we are opposed to any vehicle drive through or with a food drive through as a safety concern for our students.

Nutting - the good news about moving the cross walk, Dean has designed their campus to force everyone down to the corner instead of the middle. Over on Main St there will be a raised table to slow traffic and make it traffic friendly

Jane Curran - I want to thank the Councilors for your hard work. I am excited to see the food drive through has been removed. My one concern is the entrance for two way traffic on 140 

Nutting - this is a conceptual desgin, just because it shows this way, it does not guarantee it. It has to go through the site plan process.

Jim Schultz - want the opportunity to have my comments on the record, this is not a good place for drive through in this space. We don't need more development that encourages drive through, stop and go, we need to engage and bring folks to stay

Nutting - for the folks from Pond St, this should show that the Council does weigh the concerns, they took long and hard look at the matter.

Mercer - I was not in favor of a drive though for this property. I am concerned about the traffic at that intersection, that is the only way to get to Main St from that end of town. jeff stole a little bit of what I was going to say. You can see what the Council did to get the green space. Mr Calarese has increased the green space from 20% to 30%.

Padula - although I moved for this, in my conscience, if it could go to a drive through, I am not pleased with it and could not vote for it.

Nutting - vehicle service establishment is reasllythe term for a drive through

What are the requirements?

Nutting - part of the planning board process, the traffic studies are used. Dunkin would be different traffic pattern than that from a bank, need a by pass lane, etc. stack lane is shorter at a bank than it is at a fast food. Council can put a restriction on it for 30 years, but that is as long as it goes

Elaine Murphy - I am glad I stayed, this is very illustrative. It is on your own time and we do appreciate it. it would end up as some sort of collaboration and compromise. I have been here 41 years. The horse trough is unique but not esthetic. if this can't be the gateway? What would it be?

Nutting - the green space and the Horace Mann statue will be more presentable, that was kind of the compromise to get to the gateway

Elaine - I did remember my discussion, is there something that applies to Pond St

Cornetta - I will convery the comments to Mr Calarese, mr Calarese does want to reserve his right to have a drive through as a bank

Survey Says: Emmons St results

86 folks responded via the tool, two others did via comment for a total of 88 responses.

Survey Question	Tally	Percent
Sell the land for $500,000 w/o restriction	18	20%
Sell the land for $500,000 but restrict the use	44	50%
Sign a Land Disposition agreement	9	10%
Take no action at this time	17	19%
Totals	88	100%

The comments left with some of the surveys are here (these are unedited)

• Would like to see a drive through option eliminated. This is not the spot for such a facility.
• Why not keep the land but use it for downtown parking? How about a little park for downtown? Sure the town common is not too far away but this could help draw more people to downtown for leisure/fun!
• What's the value of the property? Seems like it would be more than $500,000.
• There is no way a drive-thru should be on that lot. Otherwise, as long as it fits in with the look of downtown I don't have an issue what goes in there.
• There are other drive thru potentials very close by ;) Town may end up with two drive thrus
• "The property will be worth more in 2 years after the Streetscape improvements. Why is the TC so anxious to sell.
• The TC should follow the Town's Master Plan for the downtown. The goal is to increase pedestrian traffic, not car traffic. The Council should follow the advice of the Town's Planning Dept who have the expertise in planning. They recommend No drive-throughs in the downtown area."
• Restrict use to NOT allow a food/coffee drive-through.
• Please DO NOT allow a fast-food and/or drive-thru. This is a gateway property to downtown, and we can do better to preserve and improve pedestrian activity downtown.
• No Food drive through!
• no drive through
• I would respectfully but strongly urge the TC to restrict the use of 150 Emmons Street by NOT ALLOWING ANY VSE'S Thank you.
• I would prefer that there's a local-type establishment in that spot (ie not a chain store) that does NOT have a drive-through. Also, I would like to know what are the advantages and disadvantages of selling vs. leasing?
• I like the idea of having slightly more control over what happens in that location since it is such a high profile part of our downtown. It could be such a key part of the development of downtown Franklin. Restricting its use to something that adds character to our town would be great.
• I don't know what the town Council would find acceptable so I'm unsure on that choice I would like to see no VS Es because I wouldn't want a bank
• Have mercy…please no more fast food chains or coffee places. There are already 5 plus coffee shops in town and a ton of fast food/drive thru. Franklin is losing it's charm and fast. It's just not an attractive place to live anymore. Turning more and more cityish as the years go by.
• Has there been any discussion of this in the most recent Master Plan (not sure there has been one recently). I can think of many uses for the parcel that would NOT need a drive-thru but all will need some amount of parking.
• Great time and care should be taken in filling that location. The town has a wonderful opportunity to enhance the downtown area and should not let it slip to a (potentially) financially lucrative but less culturally impactful resolution.
• Franklin needs to move into the 21st century. The downtown is DYING. We need some new blood and new ideas.
• Franklin needs a plan. Every effort to improve the downtown has only made it worse. We can do better. A quick sale might appeal to a shortsighted council but will prevent the downtown from fully living up to its great potential (A train station, a college, a museum, banks!!!)
• Franklin desperately needs an activity center where youth and young adults can go to pass time instead of hanging out front of 7 eleven or looking for mischief.

The survey question post can be found here:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/options-for-150-emmons-st-decision.html

The full Town Council agenda can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-jan-7.html

the Emmons St building in the discussion

Questions should be raised, answers sought, opinions stated

The Franklin Downtown Partnership has issued a call for action:

Please attend the Town Council meeting this Wednesday. 

We encourage the public to come to the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, January 7th, at Town Hall at 7:00 pm if you have concerns about a food drive-through at the 150 Emmons Street downtown location.

Our hope is to convince the Council to change the wording in the RFP so a food drive-through is not an option at this busy intersection. 

This will be the final discussion before the Council votes on the RFP. Come make a difference and have your voice heard.

The Town Council agenda has a couple of key items regarding the town property. 

• Sale of 150 Emmons St
• Rezoning of 44 Pond St

You can let your voice and interests be heard by showing up to the meeting.

The Town Council has four options on the Emmons St property. The options were published as

1. Sell the land for $500,000 and allow the developer to construct anything on the property allowed by zoning. 

2. Sell the land for $500,000, but restrict the use. (The discussion at the Economic Development Committee was whether to allow for VSEs (Vehicle Service Establishments) for any use or not allow VSEs for fast food/coffee uses? 

3. Sign a Land Disposition agreement and allow the developer 180 days to find a tenant (s) acceptable to the Council. 

4. Take no action at this time.

The Town Council also has a public hearing scheduled for 7:10 PM on the rezoning of the Pond St property. Questions should be raised, answers asked for, opinions stated.


The full agenda for the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-jan-7.html

The options can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/options-for-150-emmons-st-decision.html

A quick survey/poll on the options can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/survey-says-which-option-on-150-emmons.html

The Downtown Partnership call to action can be found here
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2015/01/make-your-voice-heard-wednesday.html

Additional info on the Pond St property can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/public-hearing-pond-st-zoning-bylaw.html

150 Emmons St

"Survey Says" - Which option on the 150 Emmons St property would you like to see?

As mentioned in the agenda for the Town Council meeting on Weds Jan 7, 2015, the council is scheduled to discuss the four options for the 150 Emmons St property.

Let's do a quick survey to see what you would choose?






The letter outlining the four options to the Town Council is found on page 25 of the 79 page PDF file released for the Town Council meeting January 7, 2015:
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/010715.pdf

150 Emmons St

Updated 7:00 PM 1/6/15

Currently there are 63 responses with 15 for 'selling the property as is' offset by 15 doing nothing while 27 would 'sell with the restriction of no drive' through and another 6 would look to see who would actually be the occupant before doing anything.

survey results as of 7:00 PM on Tuesday, Jan 6, 2015

Note: if you do have any trouble leaving your response for the survey, please leave your vote in the comments. There are two of those not in the above totals atthistime.

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Jan 7, 2015

Note: The meeting has a scheduled start of 6:00 PM. They will open the meeting, go to Executive Session with a return to open meeting after their discussion on the Fire Fighters Union contract.  


A. EXECUTIVE SESSION
– Collective Bargaining with Fire Fighters Union

The Town Council needs to meet in executive session for the purpose to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with fire fighters’ Union; I declare that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body. 

The open session will reconvene at the conclusion of the executive session.

B. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
- December 17, 2014

C. ANNOUNCEMENTS
– This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting is being recorded by Franklin Matters.

D. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

E. CITIZEN COMMENTS

F. APPOINTMENTS
- Historical Commission: Phyllis Messere Malcom

G. HEARINGS
- Zoning Bylaw Amendment 15-745: Amendment to Chapter 185, Attachment 7, Part VI, Use Regulation Schedule, Residential Uses, Office Zoning District – 7:10 PM

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
- Artistry Kitchen – Change of Manager

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

• Community Opportunity Group – Community Development Block Grant 
• 150 Emmons Street 
• Town Administrator’s Annual Update, Five Year Fiscal Forecast, Master Plan Update

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

1. Resolution 15-01: Acceptance of Gift – Council on Aging 

2. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 15-745: Amendment to Chapter 185, Attachment 7, Part VI, Use Regulation Schedule, Residential Uses, Office Zoning District – 1ST Reading

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

L. OLD BUSINESS

M. NEW BUSINESS

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

O. ADJOURN


The full set of documents released for this meeting can be found here:
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/010715.pdf

150 Emmons St, Franklin, MA

Options for 150 Emmons St decision

The Emmons St discussion is likely one of the key items on the Town Council agenda for their first meeting of 2015. The letter from Town Administrator Jeff Nutting to the Town Council lays out the current options for the discussion on the Request for Proposal (RFP) to sell the property.

As the Council is aware, we discussed an RFP for the sale of 150 Emmons Street with a minimum bid of $475,000. We did receive one bid for $500,000. The proposal submitted does not identify any specific use for the property. 

The Council has several options including:

1. Sell the land for $500,000 and allow the developer to construct anything on the property allowed by zoning. 

2. Sell the land for $500,000, but restrict the use. (The discussion at the Economic Development Committee was whether to allow for VSEs (Vehicle Service Establishments) for any use or not allow VSEs for fast food/coffee uses? 

3. Sign a Land Disposition agreement and allow the developer 180 days to find a tenant (s) acceptable to the Council. 

4. Take no action at this time.

If the Town Council chooses to sell the property, we will need until July 1, 2015 to relocate the Recreation Department.

The screen grab of the letter can be viewed here: 

screen grab of letter with options for decision on 150 Emmons St

150 Emmons St, Franklin   MA

The letter is found on page 25 of the 79 page PDF file released for the Town Council meeting January 7, 2015:
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/010715.pdf

"What is the rush?"

Wednesday was a busy reporting night with back to back meetings. The Economic Development Committee (EDC) met at 5:30 followed by the Town Council at 7:00 PM. As mentioned, I lost some time moving from one room to another for the EDC meeting. I did record both meetings. Hopefully, the recording of the EDC meeting will be good enough to share. In the meantime, my notes captured the discussion as completely as I could. This was corroborated by Matt Tota's reporting for the Milford Daily news.

EDC meeting

The discussion on the Pond St property resulted in a decision to propose zoning changes to the parcel and then after the zoning changes are approved (assuming they are), to re-issue the RFP. It is anticipated that the more broad opportunity will spurn some response.

On Emmons St, the one reply to the RFP was decided to be brought before the Town Council for discussion. The key question is whether to accept the proposal by Roger Calarese or not, and whether in the acceptance, the decision would limit the 'drive-in' capability or not.

Both discussions are scheduled for the Jan 7th Town Council meeting. The first public hearing on the proposed zoning bylaw change will be at the Planning Board meeting on Monday, Jan 5th. The Council had moved on the action which was already on its meeting agenda for Weds.

It is likely that the discussions on both properties will revisit what has already been said. What if anything will change the apparent direction of the Council to move on these properties remains to be seen.

The full set of notes from the EDC meeting are linked to below.

• Economic Development Committee - Dec 17, 2014

Town Council meeting

Aside from the discussion on the properties as noted from the EDC meeting, the Council had a quick and interesting meeting.

Recognition of Del Arnold and Marlene Oliver for their work on the Historical Commission.

The annual re-issuing of the liquor licenses. Some were held back for payment of outstanding invoices (property taxes, etc.).

A presentation by Habitat for Humanity which is expanding its mission. It had only built homes, now it is offering home repair services to qualified parties. There are still income and 'sweat equity' requirements but this is a worthy expansion of their mission. Some tri-fold brochures were given to the Councilors, additional brochures will be obtained to share from the Senior Center, Public Library, Food Pantry and other locations in town.

One of the more significant actions was the formal creation of the Library Building Committee. Once created by resolution, there were 10 people appointed to the committee. Representing a cross section of Franklin (Town Councilors, Library personnel and Board of Directors, Friends of the Library, and citizens) the group will begin work planning the details for the expansion. 

Information on the proposed expansion can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/06/live-reporting-finance-committee-060314.html

and here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/06/do-we-pay-for-roads-or-not-that-is.html

Franklin Public Library, 118 Main St

The full set of my notes recorded live during the meeting can be found here:

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• Live reporting - Legislation through to closing

• Live reporting - Habitat for Humanity

• Live reporting - Library Building Committee

• Live reporting: Town Council - Dec 17, 2014

In the News: Emmons St, Library Building committee

A local developer eyeing the town property on the corner of Emmons Street has objected to the idea of limiting the kind of businesses that could set up shop there. 

Roger Calarese, the developer behind the Franklin Village Mall, submitted a proposal to raze the current building at 150 Emmons St. and replace it with a 5,300-square-foot commercial property with a drive-through. 

But the Franklin Downtown Partnership, a consortium of local businesses, opposes the prospect of a restaurant and drive-through, such as a coffee shop.
Because of its location at the entrance to the downtown, the property has been the subject of debate. And most of the suggestions for how the town should develop the property have come from downtown business owners, who see it as a "gateway" to the area.

Continue reading the article here: (Subscription may be required) http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141218/NEWS/141216723/1994/NEWS#sthash.0cfzd6DW.dpuf

Franklin Public Library

A building committee was created Wednesday to oversee the $6.6 million library expansion. 

Committee members must consider the building’s recognizable exterior, inspired by ancient Greek architecture, as they plan out a 6,000-square-foot, two-story addition, to include a community room, coffee shop and young adult wing. 

The town has enough debt capacity to borrow the money for the project – up to 3½ percent of its revenue is reserved annually for general fund debt, helping foot the bill for most capital improvements to the recreational fields and municipal buildings. 

Three town councilors were appointed to the committee, Matthew Kelley, Thomas Mercer and Judith Pond Pfeffer, along with members of the library's Board of Directors and residents with experience in budgeting for large projects.

Continue reading the article here: (Subscription may be required) 
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141218/NEWS/141216721#sthash.A9tpzYsz.dpuf