Foxconn location could be game-changer for Franklin
The biggest news for SE Wisconsin economic development over the past week has been the announcement that iPhone and Android maker Foxconn could be closing in on the region for a massive project that could potentially bring tens of thousands of jobs to the area.
Wisconsin and Michigan are currently fighting for the massive facility and subsequent "manufacturing city" that could be comparable in size to the Village of Shorewood, and if Foxconn chooses the Badger State the two counties in the running are Racine and Kenosha Counties. This comes at no surprise to anyone keeping tabs on the current economic development of the region, as both of those counties are taking advantage of their manufacturing histories and workforces and are turning the I-94 corridor between Milwaukee County and the Illinois border into a mecca of distribution warehouses that support the Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison-Rockford megalopolis.
How does this affect Franklin?
The site Foxconn chooses affects Franklin greatly. If Franklin leaders like Mayor Olson want to see more economic development and more residential growth/density for the southern suburbs to lure in additional offices and retail, they should be heavily rooting for a Racine County location for Foxconn. As of this post, Caledonia is in the middle of a large-scale warehouse park located just off the I-94/Hwy K interchange - just a mere 7-10 mins away from Franklin's southernmost border. If Foxconn chooses to locate along the I-94 corridor in northern Racine County, that could mean many new families moving to the area and looking for places to live and play. For the higher income workers of this facility, Franklin and Oak Creek offer an abundance of opportunities.
If you're a Franklin resident wishing for rural charm and no changes at all, the Foxconn news is likely pushing you to welcome them, but in Kenosha County instead. It's just far enough away where the workforce won't be as encouraged to live or play here, but rather in a booming county like Kenosha or south in Lake County, Illinois.
With this massive project likely coming to an announcement soon, if we believe President Trump's remarks in Waukesha last week, FT calls on Mayor Olson and the Council to slow down the rush to build Olson's warehouse park dream along 27th Street from Oakwood Road to the Racine County Line. A Foxconn project mere minutes away could likely change the aspect of future projects along 27th Street, and allow a fuller realization of the dreams Franklin and Oak Creek leaders had well over a decade ago - of offices, higher end shopping, and denser residential projects. This goes away if Franklin rushes through and builds up all of its last remaining open lands along 27th Street into warehouses. If Foxconn happens in Racine County, and the wave of new opportunities moves in, taxpayers will be left wondering "what if" versus taking advantage of whatever's bound to occur with such a mega project and a massive workforce to boot.
In this case, patience is truly a virtue to be had. FT doesn't believe in scrapping everything currently on the table entirely, but calls for caution and a reality check of the situation now with the latest news. The future warehouse park sits on prime land regardless of what the future holds - a little more time isn't going to hurt any taxpayer than what's already there.