Join this year's Jane's Walk for conversation and reflection with neighbors! - May 2 at 10 AM

Join Building Equitable Neighborhoods (BEN) for Franklin on Saturday, May 2nd for our fourth annual walking discussion of downtown Franklin! The event is part of an international series in memory of social activist and placemaker Jane Jacobs.

Join this year's Jane's Walk for conversation and reflection with neighbors! - May 2

The ~1.5 hour tour will begin at 10:30 AM from the Franklin TV studio (43 Hutchinson St, Franklin, MA). Parking available.

map of the walk, heading clockwise

All are welcome, including pets and wheels!

Join us for refreshments and continued discussion after the walk!

This year, we will be joined by regional planning professionals from Congress for a New Urbanism (CNU) New England!

More info at ben4franklin.org/janes-walk-2026

Town of Franklin Designated as a 2026 Housing Choice Community

TOWN OF FRANKLIN | 355 E. Central St, Franklin, MA 02038 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 21, 2026 Media Contact: Elizabeth Kalaijian Communications Director Town of Franklin (508) 553-4886 ekalaijian@franklinma.gov   Town of Franklin Designated as a 2026 Housing Choice Community FRANKLIN, Mass. — The Town of Franklin has been designated as a 2026 Housing Choice Community by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, recognizing the Town’s ongoing efforts to support housing growth and expand access to housing opportunities. On Monday, April 13, the Town was recognized by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, along with 28 other communities, for taking concrete steps to support housing production. This designation reflects Franklin’s commitment to planning for sustainable growth and meeting the evolving housing needs of its residents. As a Housing Choice Community, Franklin is eligible to apply for the Commonwealth’s Housing Choice Grant Program. The designation also provides additional consideration in several state funding opportunities, including the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, Seaport Economic Council Grant Program, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Complete Streets Funding Program, MassDOT Capital Projects Program, and the LAND and PARC Grant Programs. The Housing Choice Initiative encourages municipalities to adopt best practices and policies that promote responsible housing development, support economic growth and increase access to opportunity across the state. “This designation reflects Franklin’s proactive approach to supporting housing opportunities that serve residents at all stages of life,” said Town Administrator Jamie Hellen. “We appreciate the Commonwealth’s recognition and look forward to continuing our work to advance thoughtful and sustainable development in our community.” Visit the Town of Franklin website for news and community updates: News and Announcements —Stay informed and connected with the Town of Franklin— Town of Franklin | 355 E Central St, | Franklin, MA 02038 US

Franklin Ridge Senior Housing - Presentation with Q&A (video)

The video of the presentation and discussion held at the Franklin Senior Center Feb 6 is now available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sD2t0uiwSY

A housing idea returns in Vermont: "state officials are reviving the idea of the catalog home"

A housing idea returns in Vermont: "state officials
are reviving the idea of the catalog home"

"In order to build the housing of the future, Vermont is hearkening back to a tool from the past.

A century ago, companies like Sears sold mail-order blueprints for modest homes that proliferated across the country and in some corners of Vermont. Now, state officials are reviving the idea of the catalog home in a bid to smooth the construction process and boost Vermont’s housing stock.

While cities such as South Bend, Indiana, and Kalamazoo, Michigan, have taken on similar initiatives in recent years, Vermont is the first state to do so, officials say.

“We want to give folks easy access to open-source construction plans,” said Alex Farrell, commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development. And, he added, “We’re wanting to give these people … some assurance that as long as you’re choosing one of these designs, you’re going to get your permit.”

The state does not have a target for how much the home designs will cost to construct, but officials are trying to make them “as efficient and affordable as possible,” Farrell said.

Read the full story from @vermontpublic/@vtdigger housing reporter Carly Berlin at the link in our bio. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDigger"

Shared from - https://www.instagram.com/p/DUqDg9TDELa/

The link to the article referenced - https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2026-02-11/vermont-develops-catalog-of-prevetted-home-designs-for-faster-building

End to homelessness possible but not with this administration

"'Deeply illogical': this man's life work could end homelessness – and Trump is doing all he can to stop it "

After four decades of research and over a
decade of federal support, Housing First’s
Sam Tsemberis is ‘back to being an outlaw’ in the US

"Now in his fourth decade of spreading the word across most of the world’s continents about “Housing First”, an approach to helping homeless people that has convinced governments and non-profits alike to see housing as a human right, Sam Tsemberis experienced a first.

He was censored by the US government.

In the 1990s, Tsemberis began developing a simple idea: people living on the street want, and should have, safe housing with no strings attached. When you add accessible mental health and addiction services and caring, consistent case management, most stay housed. His research would bear out the idea, showing that Housing First results in at least 85% of people staying housed 12 or 24 months later, depending on the study. These are higher rates than any other approach that’s been studied.

The idea was and still is not easy to implement because it depends on all the components being present: the apartments, the services and the committed case workers. It also requires believing that unhoused people “deserve” a place to live – a belief abhorrent to the Trump administration and most Maga conservatives."

Continue reading the article with this 'shared' link -

https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/feb/12/sam-tsemberis-homelessness?CMP=share_btn_url 

Fair Housing listening session schedule

Fair Housing listening session schedule

"If you’ve encountered barriers to fair housing — or you’re working to remove them — we want to learn from you. These sessions help us move from stories to solutions and inform practical recommendations statewide.


North Shore/Merrimack Valley — Thursday, Feb. 12

Register: www.mass.gov/FairHousing"

Shared from - https://www.instagram.com/p/DUjE9xMEgHi/

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Friday, February 6, 2026 ???

Friday, February 6

10:00am Knitting Group (Franklin Public Library)

1:00pm Thrifty Threads (Franklin Federated Church)

1:30pm Franklin Ridge Info Session (Franklin Senior Center)

6:00pm Ken Barney (live music) (Lafayette House)

Library & Senior Center events

For additional details on Library events -> 

https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

For additional details on Senior Center events ->   

https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=37,24&showPastEvents=false

Note: Senior Center checking on why their events are suddenly being shown as "All Day". You can use the monthly newsletter for specific program/event times

***  NO  Town Meetings today   ***

-----------

Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
The School district calendar is found  https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

MBTA community progress report

"Adopted in 2021, the MBTA Communities Act required cities and towns served by the MBTA to allow multifamily housing "as of right" in reasonably sized districts, near transit where feasible, and without restrictions that exclude families with children.

An Early Look at the MBTA
Communities Permitting Pipeline

After five years of planning, discussion, local meetings and implementation, "An Early Look at the MBTA Communities Permitting Pipeline", examines a state-compiled list of more than 100 developments, totaling almost 7,000 homes, that have entered the permitting pipeline in these new zones. One potentially surprising finding - despite its transit-oriented name, the majority of housing inspired by the Act is happening outside of walking distance from transit stations. 

The report looks at how many of these projects are likely to move from permitting into construction and eventual occupancy; where housing is being built relative to transit and walkable centers; how effectively as-of-right zoning is reducing permitting risk and delay; and what these early signals imply about the law’s likely long-term contribution to housing production in Massachusetts.

The report page on Boston Indicators also features an interactive map of MBTA Communities-related projects to date."

Find the report page - https://www.tbf.org/news-and-insights/reports/2026/january/mbta-communities-pipeline-report

Download the report - https://www.tbf.org/-/media/indicators/boston-indicators-reports/report-files/2026/mbtac_012726_v2.pdf

Mass. AG: Why I filed a lawsuit to enforce housing law — and why it’s personal for me

Andrea Campbell is attorney general of Massachusetts.

Mass. AG: Why I filed a lawsuit to enforce
housing law — and why it’s personal for me

"Massachusetts has a housing crisis. People across the state are struggling to pay rent and find an affordable place to live. Seniors are struggling to keep their homes, and good luck to anyone attempting to buy one. Young people want to stay in the communities where they grew up, but they can’t make the math work. Rents and home prices are rising faster than wages. Employers can’t fill jobs because workers can’t afford to live anywhere near them.

Every elected official has a responsibility to use the tools at their disposal to address the crisis head on. That’s why I filed a lawsuit Thursday to enforce the MBTA Communities law, which requires communities served by public transit to allow multifamily housing to be built as of right. It’s not the only solution, but it helps to get more housing built in the Commonwealth.

I understand what having a home means and the stability it creates for families. Stable housing is not a luxury — it’s an essential need."

Continue reading the article with this 'share link' ->   https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/29/opinion/mbta-communities-lawsuit/?s_campaign=sharetool_copypaste_view

Boston Globe: "Here are the 12 communities that haven’t passed a new state-approved housing plan yet"

"Five years after it began, the fight over a controversial state housing law is nearly over.

The final compliance deadline for the MBTA Communities Act — the 2021 law that requires cities and towns served by the T make room for more multifamily housing — came and went at the end of 2025. And after a series of sometimes-bruising local fights, 165 of the 177 cities and towns the law covers have passed zoning intended to comply with it.

The remaining noncompliant towns are: Carver, Dracut, East Bridgewater, Freetown, Halifax, Holden, Marblehead, Middleton, Rehoboth, Tewksbury, Wilmington, and Winthrop.

That just 12 communities are considered out of compliance represents significant progress for Governor Maura Healey’s administration, which embraced the nearly-passed law when Healey took office in 2022."

Continue reading the article online with this 'sharing' link ->

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/07/business/boston-housing-mbta-communities-law-towns/?s_campaign=sharetool_copypaste_view

Note: the map is 'inaccurate' at least as far as Franklin is concerned. While we have made zoning changes, there are a couple of technical changes out for Planning Board approval to come back to the Town Council for approval to bring us into full compliance. We were almost there when the whole MBTA community thing started due to the work we had already begun with Franklin For All.  Prior maps usually were shown as compliant, or pending, or not. We were in the pending status previously.

Boston Globe Editorial: "Getting to yes on housing in Massachusetts"

"Over the next decade, state housing officials estimate that Massachusetts will need another 222,000 homes. These homes are necessary to attract young professionals, to prevent families with young children from leaving, to empty the homeless shelters, and to let seniors age in their communities.

"Getting to yes on housing in Massachusetts"

More housing is also needed to mitigate climbing prices that are hurting not only lower-income residents, but even those who are solidly middle class. The median price of a single-family home in Massachusetts this year, as of November, was an astonishing $640,000, according to The Warren Group.

Zillow ranked Greater Boston as the fifth most expensive rental market in the country, with average rent hovering just under $3,000 a month, according to the Boston Foundation’s 2025 Housing Report Card."

Continue reading the editorial with this shared link -> 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/28/opinion/housing-reforms-massachusetts/?s_campaign=sharetool_copypaste_view

Getting to "yes" on housing is a key issue for Franklin. Basic supply / demand economics are at play. Unless, and until, we increase the supply to meet the demand housing costs will continue to rise making it less affordable. 

Consider the Building Equitable Neighborhoods For Franklin (BEN 4 Franklin) group. They want to understand zoning to advocate for the right changes to make to enable sustainable and affordable growth.  Find out more at https://ben4franklin.org/

USA Facts video series - well worth binging !! (video)

The 6 part series by Steve Ballmer and USAFacts is worth binging. Each episode is between 6 and 10 minutes.

• What is Poverty? Ep 1 of Just the Facts: Do you Qualify? -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsUeoe2GJdk
• What is Medicaid and How Many Americans Use It? Ep 2 of Just the Facts: Do you Qualify? -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd93Z-resrE
• What is Subsidized Housing? | Episode 3 of Just the Facts: Do you Qualify? ->  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfhwCPLCkpw
• How Do SNAP Benefits Impact Food Insecurity? | Episode 4 of Just the Facts: Do You Qualify? -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snHiT4f_wa4
• How Does the Government Help Low-Income Students? | Episode 5 of Just the Facts: Do You Qualify?  -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti6Motk5Dhc
• What Cash Assistance does the Government provide? | Episode 6 of Just the Facts: Do You Qualify? -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYmUfktljQE

USA Facts video series - well worth binging !!

It is recommended to start with episode 1

You can also go directly to the USAFacts page and try their interactive version which is still in beta test.  https://usafacts.org/just-the-facts/

Why share these? The terminology and principles also apply here in Franklin.

Affordable being a key term. In the discussions I have at the Senior Center (and elsewhere), I always qualify "affordable" as Capital A - that defined by the Federal and State process, or little "a" - the affordable that can be covered by what is in our wallet or income reach.

The Guardian: "It's still not OK boomer: younger Americans are flailing – and mad as hell"

"Almost every couple that I know in their 20s, 30s or even 40s has had the same argument with their parents before getting married.

The Guardian: "It's still not OK boomer:
younger Americans are flailing – and mad as hell"

The parents say to open a wedding registry. The couple responds that they do not want one. They don’t expect gifts from wedding guests (their “presence is enough”), and they have been cohabiting for years and already have plates, bedsheets and a blender. In fact, since they live in a small rented apartment, they barely have room for the plates that they do have – let alone a set of china.

Perhaps, they will timidly suggest, guests who really want to give a gift can donate to a honeymoon fund? Or better yet, make a small contribution toward a downpayment on a house?

The parents get upset. Asking for cash, they say, is “tacky”, and also puts people in the difficult position of having to choose an amount to give. The young couple will point out that they are not asking for cash, just giving an option for those who want to mark the occasion."

Continue reading the article -> "It's still not OK boomer: younger Americans are flailing – and mad as hell" | J Oliver Conroy https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/dec/07/boomer-millennial-gen-z-housing?CMP=share_btn_url

Banker & Tradesman: Why 2026 Could Be the Turning Point for Housing in Massachusetts

"After decades of stalled reforms, entrenched local resistance, and a political culture that treated housing scarcity as an unfortunate inevitability, Massachusetts appears poised to enter a new phase.

Banker & Tradesman: Why 2026 Could Be
the Turning Point for Housing in Massachusetts

The conversation on Beacon Hill has become sharper and more candid, new polling shows voters want deeper, faster action on housing affordability and local elections are sending pro-housing candidates into office. For the first time in decades, political leadership and public sentiment are aligned, creating a rare moment where transformational housing reform doesn’t just seem possible, but increasingly expected by voters.

Multiple recent opinion polls point to this public shift. A November survey from WCVB and UMass Amherst and a September poll from Abundant Housing Massachusetts both found that housing is now the most important issue for voters statewide."

Continue reading the article By Jonathan Berk ->   https://bankerandtradesman.com/why-2026-could-be-the-turning-point-for-housing-in-massachusetts/

R.I. launches launches first-time homeownership program touting ‘affordable’ mortgage options

“RI AnchorHome” will allow families in search of a primary residence in the Ocean State to obtain 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with a starting interest rate of 3.99 percent, officials said

"A new Rhode Island homeownership pilot program will expand access to “affordable, sustainable mortgage options” for first-time buyers, state officials say.

Rhode Island General Treasurer James A. Diossa on Thursday announced the launch of “RI AnchorHome,” telling reporters the initiative will allow qualifying families in search of a primary residence in the Ocean State to obtain 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with a starting interest rate of 3.99 percent.

R.I. launches launches first-time homeownership
program touting ‘affordable’ mortgage options

The program comes as Rhode Island, like many states, has struggled to slow the rising cost of housing. In October, the median sale price of a single-family home reached $505,000, while multi-family home sales prices reached a new high of $600,000, according to data released last month by the Rhode Island Association of Realtors."

Continue reading the article via this 'gift' link -> 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/05/metro/rhode-island-homeownership-pilot/?s_campaign=sharetool_copypaste_view

Boston Globe: "The Boston Foundation’s annual Greater Boston Housing Report Card outlines how the region’s housing crisis may only get worse"

"The cost of buying a home is growing for everyone

Home prices around here have been rising for decades, but the last few years have been particularly bad.

First, home prices soared in a pandemic-driven housing market frenzy. Then, when interest rates began to rise in 2021, the market effectively froze, driving prices higher still.

Prices have gone up everywhere and across the price spectrum. It’s in the communities where home prices were the lowest before the pandemic that prices have grown the most. In Brockton, for example, the median sale price of a single-family home has risen 72 percent since 2015. In Lawrence, it has more than doubled."

Franklin From 2015 to 2025, the median sale price of a single-family home rose 35%.

Median sale price for a single-family home in 2015 (adjusted for inflation): $510,002

Median sale price for a single-family home in 2025: $688,000

Continue reading the Boston Globe article -> 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/11/business/housing-prices-rental-construction-boston-foundation/

The Boston Foundation 2024 report is available for download. The 2025 is not yet available for public download.   https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/reports-and-covers/2024/gbhrc-2024/2024gbhrc-digital-sm.pdf

More Senior Housing coming with the Franklin Ridge project

"Seniors are the fastest-growing group facing homelessness — and that’s wrong. Westminster Senior Residences is a clear example of what we’re doing about it: partnering with local leaders to plan and build attractive, comfortable and affordable homes for older adults.  

More Senior Housing coming with the Franklin Ridge project

When we help communities move good projects forward, we protect our neighbors and strengthen Massachusetts. "

Listen to Ed Augustus at this recent ribbon cutting on Westminster. Follow link for video reel ->   https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQuAqbOEywZ/

Agenda for the Economic Development Subcmte meeting on Weds, Oct 15, 2025 at 5:45 PM

Economic Development Subcommittee

Agenda & Meeting Packet

October 15, 2025 = 5:45 PM

Agenda:

1. Approval of Minutes

a. 2021: March 3, June 16, July 21

b. 2022: April 6

c. 2023: January 4, January 25, February 22, March 1, March 22, May 3, June 7, June 21, August 16, August 23, September 6, October 18, November 1

d. 2024: January 31, March 13, April 10, May 1, May 23, September 18, October 16, November 13, November 20, December 11, December 18

e. 2025: January 8, February 26, May 21, July 16

2. Friendly 40B Policy

3. Standard Housing Index Percentage

4. Councilor Comments

5. Adjourn

Agenda doc also contains remote participation info ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10152025-1954

Agenda for the Economic Development Subcmte meeting on Weds, Oct 15, 2025 at 5:45 PM