DATE: January 18, 2017
TO: Franklin Municipal Planning Commission
FROM: Andrew Orr, Principal Planner
Kelly Dannenfelser, Long-Range Planning Supervisor
Emily Hunter, Director of Planning and Sustainability
SUBJECT:
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PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of Franklin Municipal Planning Commission Resolution 2016-91, A Resolution to Adopt Envision Franklin.
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Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to provide information to the Franklin Municipal Planning Commission (FMPC) concerning a resolution to adopt Envision Franklin.
Background
The City’s Land Use Plan was adopted in 2004, but has not been updated since 2011. In the fall of 2014, the City was actively working with CHA Consulting to update the Major Thoroughfare Plan. To better link transportation and land use planning, Contract 2013-0135, establishing a professional services agreement between the City of Franklin and CHA Consulting, was amended to include professional services for land use planning.
Public meetings were held May 4-6, 2015 at Eastern Flank Battlefield Park to gather input and engage the community. Over the course of 2015 and 2016, the P&SD staff worked with CHA (now Rundell Ernstberger Associates) to create a new planning document that provides clear and concise guidance to property owners and the development community.
The first draft of Envision Franklin was released to the public on July 20, 2016. During the following months, the P&SD staff provided many opportunities to the public to learn more about the plan and provide input, culminating in the open houses held on September 26 and September 27, 2016, in which over 200 people attended. Throughout the public engagement phase, 88 comment cards were collected and over 20 posts were made on the City’s social media pages. Moreover, presentations about Envision Franklin were delivered to various groups including the Downtown Franklin Association, the Franklin Tomorrow Board, the Franklin Breakfast Rotary, the Design Professionals, the Chamber Real Estate Roundtable, and a Special Work Session was held with the Planning Commission. In addition, Envision Franklin was discussed at four different Joint Conceptual Workshop meetings in the Fall of 2016. Planning staff worked to incorporate much of the community input into the final draft released December 2016.
Envision Franklin seeks to articulate the long-term vision for the future of Franklin. The following are the major objectives:
• Create exceptional places for people through design of new development, building form, uses, setbacks, activated streets, and pedestrian focus.
• Direct higher intensity and taller buildings toward I-65 where infrastructure can support a thriving regional economy comprised of a balanced mix of regional office, commercial, and multifamily residential uses.
• While intensity is promoted in areas with supportive infrastructure, the emphasis in historic areas is to preserve the established character and ensure contextually compatible infill development.
• Strategically located neighborhood commercial and mixed use nodes to serve surrounding residential neighborhoods and help reduce traffic and trip length.
• Emphasize active transportation for both destinations and recreation by connecting land uses through multi-use paths, sidewalks, and trails.
• Protect Franklin’s natural beauty along its edges by preserving scenic corridors and viewsheds.
The vision and guiding principles establish the overall direction and principal themes of the Plan. They are organized around eight topics: managed growth, economic vitality, vibrant neighborhoods, historic preservation, natural beauty, exceptional design, connected community, and context-responsive infill. The framework established to implement the vision and guiding principles are the seventeen design concepts, which serve as the keystones to the Plan. Each design concept is mapped with desired land uses, building form, site design, transportation, and special considerations.
The Plan provides a framework for making land-use decisions, managing the quality of development, determining the timing and location of future growth, and directing investment and development activity. It should work in partnership with Connect Franklin, the Parks Master Plan, the Capital Improvements Plan, the Integrated Water Resources Plan, and other planning documents. Each are components of an interconnected, comprehensive approach to guiding the future of the City.
Please note that a single change was made after December 2016 in the secondary uses table on page 29 to support local commercial uses at locations that historically had non-residential uses in the Compact Residential Design Concept.
Recommendation
Approval of FMPC Resolution 2016-91, adopting Envision Franklin.