You’re invited to a Sneak Preview of Franklin’s Meijer Store Development

Franklin District 1 Alderman Steve Olson has announced that Meijer stores will hold a public information meeting next Thursday, May 17 at the Franklin Community room adjacent to Franklin City Hall to present its plans for a proposed combination supermarket-discount store to be built at the corner of Hwy. 100 and Loomis road—Franklinites commonly refer to this area as the “Crossroads.”

This open house-style meeting is scheduled from 5:00pm to 8:00pm, affording Franklin citizens and interested parties the opportunity to view Meijer's plans, meet Meijer representatives, their architects and ask questions and voice their comments about this project scheduled for completion by 2014.

This meeting includes a short project presentation by Meijer representatives of at 6:30pm.

Meijer plans to mail announcements to residents around the development area.

This is NOT be an official City meeting.

Ryan Creek Sewer Project clogged by County Parks Commission

During a hearing this morning the Milwaukee County Parks Commission voted 4-3 to send the City of Franklin’s proposed easement request for the Ryan Creek Interceptor (RCI) Project to the Milwaukee Corporation Council to ensure that the plan submitted by Franklin officials complies with county guidelines and all applicable county legal requirements.

County Supervisor John Weishan, Jr., 16th District, spoke in strong opposition to this controversial $41 million taxpayer funded project which has met with very little support from residents and land owners in the project’s defined area and suggested that MMSD ought to revaluate its priorities in light of ongoing sewer back ups in homes  in several  suburbs throughout Milwaukee County, and flooding problems like those affecting Franklin not long ago.

A presentation by Mayor Tom Taylor and City Engineer Jack Bennett, failed to persuade a majority of commissioners to approve the City’s plan which would have put the matter before the full Milwaukee County Board for consideration.  At one point in his presentation Mayor Taylor went so far as to suggest that this project and other future office developments in this area could be enough to entice Kohl's Corp. to relocate its new headquarters in Franklin.

Former Franklin Alderman and editor and publisher of THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL, Basil Ryan, also addressed commissioners voicing his opposition to RCI and challenging the Mayor’s unsubstantiated revenue figures provided the RCI were built as proposed.  Ryan also questioned whether outdated, 12-year old reports like the Ticknor and the Franklin First had any validity in today’s decision making process especially with regard to economic development.

Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic, 4th District made the motion to send the matter to the Corporation (Milwaukee County attourneys) Council for its legal opinion.  Supervisors Jason Haas, 14th District and  Nikiya Harris, 2nd District voted with Dimitrijevic with Chair, Gerry Broderick, 3rd District, breaking the 3-3 tie.  Supervisors Cesarz, Sanfelippo and Jursik all voted no.

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• MMSD considers land purchase in Ryan Creek headwaters
• Sewer project OK'd for undeveloped area of Franklin
• Franklin: The final frontier
• Negotiations begin on sewer to city's future

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Common Council Approves Government Subsidized Housing Plan

As expected, the Franklin Common Council on Tuesday approved the concept review plan for the construction of a 30-unit apartment building for seniors, located just off South 51st Street in Franklin's District 3.  The plan was submitted by Minneapolis-based CommonBond Communities, the Midwest's largest nonprofit provider of affordable housing with services.  Construction on the project is expected to begin by early fall.  A spokesman for CommonBond said the project has financing through a $4 million federal grant.  Although the property is, by state statute, exempt from property tax, Joel Dietl, Franklin’s Planning Manager reported to the Council that in lieu of paying full roperty taxes, CommonBond had agreed to pay fees equal to the City’s portion of the property taxes on this property.

In a March 24 email response to several questions posed by THE FRANKLIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL, CommonBond representative Joseph Schwenker confirmed that CommonBond rents are based on 30% of the income level of the resident and that CommonBond has senior communities in MN, IA and WI.  Wisconsin, has by statute, complete tax exemption for properties held by nonprofit organizations like CommonBond and two of CommonBond’s 5 properties in Wisconsin qualify for this exemption which allows CommonBond to keep rents even more  affordable to residents who live on social security or other small fixed incomes.  

According to its website, CommonBond:

• Develops, owns or manages 5,000 affordable rental apartments and townhomes throughout 50 cities in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.

• Close to 8,000 people; families, seniors, and people with disabilities and other barriers, call CommonBond home.
• More than 2,000 of these individuals are children.
• On average, resident household income is $14,000 a year.

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