DATE: August 5, 2015
TO: Board of Mayor and Aldermen
FROM: Eric Stuckey, City Administrator
Kelly Dannenfelser, Principal Planner, AICP
SUBJECT:
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Discussion Regarding The “Hill” Property (403 And 405 5th Avenue N) - Future Use And Process
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Purpose
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information to the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) about the hill property and a framework for BOMA discussion about the property’s future.
Background
The “Hill” property includes two parcels of land that housed various City departments until the Consolidated Public Works Facility was established in 2013. Selling the hill property was part of the discussion that led to the City proceeding with the purchase of the 84 Lumber property, which is now the consolidated facility.
Community Housing Partnership (CHP), with the support of the Hard Bargain/Mt Hope and Habitat for Humanity, recently approached the City with a proposal to have the City donate this property for the purpose of constructing 44 attached residential units.
The site is a highly visible gateway property along a nonresidential corridor and it is isolated between the retaining wall and cemeteries with access through the floodway. An eclectic mix of nonresidential and institutional uses surround this property.
The Hill property was part of the American Planning Association’s Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT) study, which provided future land use recommendations for this corridor. The CPAT recommendations included: maintaining City ownership of the site; limited, low-scale, community-oriented development; and ensuring that development respect/complement the adjacent historic cemeteries. See the attached excerpt.
The Land Use Plan recommends that “new uses should be limited to low-scale, low-impact public uses that respect the adjacent historic cemetery. If the BOMA decides to declare this property surplus, low-scale commercial and civic/institutional uses would be appropriate.” See the attached. Staff offers examples of public uses could include additional parking, trail head, passive open space, overlook, etc. Private Institutional uses could include a low-scale church building with shared parking for cemeteries or expansion of the cemeteries and parking.
Financial Impact
Appraisals for the property have recently been completed based on a range of zoning districts. These include RM-10 (Residential Multifamily 10 du/ac), RM-20 (Residential Multifamily 20 du/ac), CI (Civic Institutional), and CC (Central Commercial). Appraised values ranged from $1.8 to $2.5 million, respectively. The property is currently zoned CI, Civic Institutional. If this property were to be declared surplus and then sold by sealed bid in accordance with State law, the revenues from the sale would be divided between two funds-39% to Water & Sewer and 61% to the General Fund-to reimburse the originating funds that were used to acquire the property for public uses.
Recommendation
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Staff recommends the BOMA have a discussion focused around this question: Will this property be needed for public purpose in the foreseeable future?