Brian Taberner, Director of Department of Planning and Community Development
Beth Dalhstrom also present at the meeting
Open space and recreation plan due for public review in October 2008
Affordable Housing plan due for 2010
Zoning bylaws
- Non-conforming use bylaw due to Town Council in 2-4 weeks
- Sign Bylaw revisions to follow
- Inclusionary bylaw to follow
Commonwealth Capital
Avg score 76.5, Franklin score 102. Currently only 11 communities have a higher score
Doak - What are the top things that are driving that score?
Taberner - an aggressive and proactive policy development is driving that, will be tougher to get a hig score each year as we go forward. It looks at what you are doing now, not what you did before.
Create a community where entrepreneurs will want to settle and raise their families
Bartlett - given the recent major layoffs, will that pattern affect this?
Taberner - yes, not directly but yes
Nutting - yes, declines in education will cause property values to decline
Nu-Style Property, Grove St
- may get a brownfields grant to help in this
Town owned properties
working on unresolved parcels and tax title properties
Four Corners: just about ready to go to the Planning Board and begin that process
Business outreach - don't have the resources to go out and attract specific businesses to Franklin. No longer have the Downtown Manager position to do this.
Industrial zone - substantial opporuntity
900,000 sq ft either empty or underutilized
We want to identify and work with the owners to get the property occupied and generating more revenue than it was before.
Downtown Revitilization plan
- continue to work with the Downtown Partnership
- establish an image and identiy
- Promote Franklin as a Historic Commercial District
- Create and promote Cultural Corridor including a historic walking trail
Bike racks - reimbursable project, need ideas for locations
Public transit - EMC interested, meeting with GATRA later this month to explore options
