Downtown project faces Neighboring Opposition
With the announcement last week of the proposed $130 million mixed use project called “Ballpark Commons”. Rock owner Mike Zimmerman has had his hands full pleasing adjacent neighbors. While initial press coverage was positive, neighbors in the nearby Stonehedge subdivision and Hawthorne Drive neighborhood have banded together to oppose the project.
Franklin Today’s Facebook page indicates comments from the opposition related to noise, bright lighting and failed promises by Zimmerman regarding The Rock; a separate but linked development project. The Ballpark Commons project includes up to 4 restaurants, 2 office buildings, 2 hotels and apartments needed to help drive population and the project's sustainability.
The Community as a whole has long supported more of this type of development and keeping their dollars in Franklin rather than going elsewhere for dining, shopping or entertainment. It also has been viewed as a huge step forward in the “Downtown” vision several Common Council leaders have been seeking, despite criticism from friends of Mayor Olson, who instead want a “business” park along 27th Street near the county line in the Oak Creek School District.
The city has had both the Downtown vision and the business park on agendas of the past year to research the potential of TIF (tax incremental financing) Districts. TID/TIF’s are one of the very few economic development tools available to cities and is being used by most communities, including the City of Oak Creek. With the TIF, the city could assist with water, sewer and roads costs to help get the project off the ground. In turn the taxes those projects provide back to the various taxing bodies would cover those costs. Depending on how valuable the properties become as a result, the quicker the TIF can be paid off, taxes can begin flowing directly toward tax relief for residential taxpayers.
As the review process goes on, Franklin Today will be providing in-depth coverage of the issues that are surrounding the project, the politics behind it all, and looking into resident concerns.