Important Downtown Franklin Project in Need of Input
Public Meeting regarding PWED Project Draft Plan
The Town of Franklin is holding a public meeting in order to obtain comments and suggestions on the Public Works Economic Development (PWED) grant funded portion of the Downtown Franklin Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project. The meeting will be held on Monday January 10, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at Dean College’s Alden Center (S11) located in the Arthur W. Pierce Center for Science and Technology. Parking will be available in the Dean Hall Lot located off Emmons Street behind Dean Hall.
The focus of the meeting is to obtain input from the general public, government officials, Downtown business owners, property owners, and other individuals and organizations on draft plans for the PWED project area, which includes the following:
Emmons Street between Main Street and Hillside Road
Dean Avenue between Main and Ray Streets
Ray Street
Depot Street, and
The Town of Franklin’s Depot Street Parking Lot.
The goals of this project are to improve the deteriorated conditions of these secondary roadways, create a safer pedestrian friendly environment, stimulate private sector investment, and improve the overall appearance of Downtown Franklin.
The meeting will be a hands-on workshop, where meeting attendees will have the opportunity to review draft plans, ask questions, exchange ideas, and provide suggestions. If unable to attend the public meeting, draft plans are available for review in the Town of Franklin’s Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD).
To make it easy for individuals to submit comments and suggestions DPCD has created the Downtown Improvement Project webpage on the Town’s website:
Please utilize the website to provide input and look for other ways to participate in this important project. DPCD asks that the public utilize the website whenever possible to provide input, however input in any format (direct mail; email; telephone; fax) is welcome. Feel free to contact Franklin’s Director of Planning and Community Development, Bryan W. Taberner, at 508-520-4907 or btaberner@franklin.ma.us if you have questions or require additional information. We look forward to hearing from you.
On Wednesday, December 15, the Town Council will discuss a revised proposal by the Department of Planning and Community Development to create a Downtown Commercial Zoning District. Steve Sherlock posted the following article on Franklin Matters on Sunday, December 12. Steve has included the full memo and supporting documents on his site. Click on the link below to access the entire story. Franklin Matters: Approach Revised for the Downtown Commercial Zoning Proposal
Hundreds braved cold, seasonal temperatures on Thursday evening to help ring in the holidays at the 2nd Annual Holiday Stroll. The tree lighting at Dean College kicked off the evening, and Santa heard Christmas wish lists at Simon's Furniture from 5 to 7. Thank you to our generous sponsors for helping to make this event and the season bright!
Click here to read Bryan Benson's story about the Stroll in the Milford Daily News.
The 2nd Annual Holiday Stroll is set for Thursday, December 2, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. throughout Franklin's downtown. Here are a few of the Happenings planned:
A Cut Above: Complementary hair products, coupons for hair & nail services, hot chocolate and cookies.
Berry Insurance: Live broadcast from WODS-FM 103.3.
Boston Sports Club: Pictures with Scooby Doo, goodie bags.
Dean College: 4:30 p.m. tree lighting, caroling and holiday snacks. Come cheer on the Bulldogs at the Women's Basketball game at 6 p.m. and Men's Basketball game at 8 p.m. in Pieri Gym. Free Admission!
Digital Credit Union: Candy for kids at the Mobile Branch.
Downtown Consignment: Beverages & refreshments, 20% off coupon for evening of the Stroll.
Emma's Quilt Cupboard: Quilt sample sale.
Franklin Food Pantry: Open House 4:30 to 8 p.m. Accepting donations from Holiday Needs List.
Franklin Historical Museum: Busy Bee Crafters will have holiday gift items for sale. Enjoy holiday music!
Franklin School for the Performing Arts: Theater Troupe performance and stocking takeaway.
H & R Block: Goodies, Free second looks, free tax return raffle.
Hair @ Nail It: Free manicure with a canned good donation for the Franklin Food Pantry.
House Portraits by Deb: Calendar collage of Franklin paintings.
Jane's Frames: Hot cider and gingerbread cookies, Free Drawing for Framed Art for all who sign up for Wish List for Holiday Gifts.
Party Paints N' Pottery: Mulled cider, cookies and a free ornament to paint.
Printsmart: Free one-subject notebook for all kids who come into the store.
RE/MAX Realty: Condo Tours and Hospitality Suite with refreshments for all ages.
Salon Sorella: 20% off gift cards -- first 50 people to purchase a $100 gift card will receive it for $50. One per family; offers cannot be combined.
SELF Aesthetics and Therapeutic Specialists: 5-minute chair massages, coupons and raffle for a free service.
Simon's Furniture: Meet Santa from 5 to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Franklin Downtown Partnership General Meeting Agenda
The Franklin Downtown Partnership will once again team up with the Garden Club to decorate Franklin’s downtown center with holiday greens, ribbons and wreaths on Sunday, November 21, at 9:00 a.m.
Residents are welcome to put on their garden gloves and join volunteers on the center island in front of the Rome Restaurant. Volunteers are also needed on Friday, November 19, at 10:00 a.m. to organize the greenery at Hillside Nursery.
“It’s become our tradition to put up the decorations the Sunday before Thanksgiving to spruce up the downtown for the holidays,” says Eileen Mason, Beautification Day chairperson. “Volunteers from the high school boys and girls hockey teams are very much appreciated every year for their spirit and enthusiasm in the decorating."
Each year local sponsors donate funds to pay for the holiday decorations and the spring flowers. “We are fortunate to have such generous businesses that enable us to continue our efforts each year,” says Executive Director Lisa Piana. “We accomplish all of this through donations and tireless volunteer hours.”
Anyone interested in volunteering or sponsoring this activity should contact Eileen Mason at emason11@verizon.net for more details. For more information contact Lisa Piana at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com.
The Franklin Downtown Partnership will officially kick off the holiday season with its 2nd Annual Holiday Stroll on Thursday, December 2, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. A tree-lighting ceremony, a visit from Santa, music and refreshments are all part of the fun planned for revelers this year.
The festivities will begin with a tree lighting ceremony at Dean College in front of Dean Hall at 4:30 p.m. Carolers will lead the crowds in singing holiday classics while plenty of hot chocolate and goodies will help keep everyone warm and jolly.
From Dean College visitors can stroll through Franklin’s downtown, where they will find special promotions, entertainment, and food at more than 20 participating businesses.
Among the many highlights of the evening will be an appearance by Santa at Simon’s Furniture on Summer Street from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Radio station 103.3 WODS-FM, Boston’s holiday music specialist, will ring in the cheer by broadcasting holiday favorites live from the Berry Insurance parking lot on Main Street.
Children of all ages can paint an ornament at Party Paints N’ Pottery, and there will be a free drawing for framed art for everyone who signs up for the “Wish List for Holiday Gifts” at Jane’s Frames. At the Franklin School for the Performing Arts the Theater Troupe will perform and give away stockings. The Franklin Food Pantry has planned an Open House from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be accepting donations.
A complete listing of each businesses’ special offers and treats will be available at participating locations.
“Last year we were lucky to have a beautiful night and the crowds surpassed our expectations,” says Lisa Piana, executive director of the Partnership. “We are very happy to be able to bring the Holiday Stroll back for a second year and give our residents an added incentive to come downtown to eat and shop.
“Again this year we have been fortunate to have generous sponsors who make the Holiday Stroll the fun event that it has become,” adds Piana. “These events add to the sense of community we are trying to foster and we are excited there has been so much interest.”
The Gold Sponsor for this year’s stroll is Ferguson Enterprises. Silver Sponsors are Dean Bank, Keefe Insurance, Middlesex Savings Bank, and NHS Print. Bronze Sponsors include Ficco’s Bowladrome and Tedeschi Food Shops.
Businesses interested in sponsoring the Holiday Stroll should contact event coordinators Cindy Kozil, ckozil@dean.edu, and Roberta Trahan, Roberta_icu1@verizon.net . Additional information, including sponsorship forms, can be found under the Events tab.
As a non-profit organization, the Downtown Partnership depends on sponsors to run this and other events, including the Strawberry Festival, the Harvest Festival and Third Thursday events. For more information contact Executive Director Lisa Piana at (774)571-3109, downtown.franklin@yahoo.com .
Whether you’re looking for a cafe, for information about one of the many festivals or for updates on downtown road projects slated for the town, you can find it all and more on the Franklin Downtown Partnership’s new website, franklindowntownpartnership.org.
The non-profit organization, which runs events like the Harvest Festival and the Holiday Stroll to raise awareness of Franklin’s downtown, created the website as an information center for all things downtown Franklin, according to Executive Director Lisa Piana.
“We built a community website where we can share information about our events and highlight downtown businesses,” says Piana. “But just as important to us was the idea of creating a place where people from all over could learn more about Franklin and the exciting things happening here.”
Website co-creator Steve Sherlock used what he calls “The 3 Cs” to build the site. “Good content starts conversations and over time those conversations build community,” says Sherlock, a Downtown Partnership volunteer who also writes a blog called Franklin Matters. “We want to use this site as a central location for all of our internet activities. In the future we will expand to share information through other social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
The site currently has a wide variety of information, from membership details to meeting dates and agendas, and information about and registration forms for the various festivals. Visitors to the site can find links to many of the Partnership’s more than 140 members’ websites, including restaurants, personal trainers, Town Hall, the Historical Museum and Dean College. Information about projects that are moving through the Planning Board or Town Council approval process that directly affects the downtown will be easy to find as well.
The site will continue to expand, according to Terri Frank, website coordinator. “We aim to be another go-to site, in conjunction with the Town’s website, for information about the upcoming downtown improvement project. We will post timely information about hearings or road closures to try to help our businesses, residents and visitors navigate the downtown during the redesign.”
For more information please contact Executive Director Lisa Piana at (774)571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com, or stop by the Downtown Partnership office located at 9 East Central Street.
The United Regional Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its new downtown Franklin office location with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house. The event will be held Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. at 4 West St., Franklin, on the corner of West Central and West streets. Please RSVP to the Chamber at 508-222-0801.
The United Regional Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, business support organization serving the communities of Attleboro, Bellingham, Blackstone, Foxborough, Franklin, Mansfield, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Norton, Plainville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, and Wrentham.
This information courtesy of Steve Sherlock, Franklin Matters post on Nov. 5, 2010.
FDP Planning Franklin’s 2010 Holiday Stroll
The Franklin Downtown Partnership is busy planning this year’s Holiday Stroll and is looking for businesses interested in sponsoring the event. This year’s stroll will take place on Thursday, December 2, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The festivities will begin with a holiday tree lighting at Dean College followed by a stroll through town. Last year’s event drew hundreds of people to the downtown. Businesses and organizations participated with special promotions, entertainment and refreshments. Santa will once again be at Simon’s Furniture on Summer Street.
This year’s stroll will be sponsored by Ferguson Enterprises, Middlesex Savings Bank, Keefe Insurance, Dean Bank, NHS Print, Ficco’s Bowladrome and Tedeschi Food Shops. Interested businesses should contact event coordinators Cindy Kozil, ckozil@dean.edu, and Roberta Trahan, Roberta_icu1@verizon.net, for details and sponsorship forms. A sponsorship form is also available here.
As a non-profit organization, the Downtown Partnership depends on sponsors to run this and other events, including the Harvest Festival, Third Thursday events and Beautification. For more information please contact Executive Director Lisa Piana at (774)571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com.
In its continued efforts to attract and retain businesses the Town of Franklin is holding an economic development related event at 8:30 a.m. on October 27, 2010 at 431 Washington Street in Franklin. The primary purpose of the event is to inform property owners and commercial real estate companies with available property within the Town’s Economic Opportunity Areas that there are resources available to assist them. The secondary purpose is to assist with marketing of these properties and our business friendly community in general. We want the commercial/industrial site selection world to look to the Town of Franklin first when looking to site a facility.
This gathering of property owners, business owners and managers, State officials, commercial property realtors, and others in the site selection field, will discuss ways in which available incentives can be used to stimulate economic activity within the Town of Franklin’s six Economic Opportunity Areas and Town’s other industrial and commercial areas. Property owners and realtors attempting to lease or sell a commercial or
industrial property within the Town of Franklin are being asked to bring marketing materials to display and distribute at the event.
As part of the event (Resources for Massachusetts Business Development) representatives from state agencies and other economic development related organizations will introduce themselves and discuss potential resources that they may have available. These organizations include Massachusetts Office of Business Development, MassDevelopment, Massachusetts Alliance for Economic Development, and Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
With the sluggish economy the Town of Franklin needs to utilize all economic development incentives available to it in order to assist companies looking to settle or expand in the region. One of the most attractive incentives that a Massachusetts city or town can offer businesses looking to locate or expand in their community is a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) agreement. To qualify for tax increment financing a business must propose an expansion project within an Economic Opportunity Area.
As a member of the I-495/95 South Regional Economic Target Area, the Town of Franklin can designate specific parcels as economic opportunity areas. During 2009 the Town of Franklin created three large economic opportunity areas, which were approved by the State’s Economic Assistance Coordinating Council in April 2009. Earlier this year Franklin Town Council approved creation of three additional economic opportunity areas; the Town expects approval from the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council during November 2010. The six economic opportunity areas consist of 100 parcels totaling over 945 acres.
Currently there are at least 1,000,000 square feet of vacant or underutilized buildings in Franklin’s commercially and industrially zoned areas, most of which are within the Town’s six economic opportunity areas. This vacant property includes the majority of the 242,000+ square feet of floor space at 431 Washington Street, which is the former home of the Investor Services Division of Putnam Investments. The property’s management company, Marsh and McLennan Companies, has graciously agreed to host the Town’s 2010 Economic Development Summit at their 431 Washington Street facility.
The community’s industrially zoned areas are home to dozens of research and development and manufacturing companies, and Franklin has attracted innovative technology companies in a wide range of industries, including nanotechnology, robotics, logistics, data storage, medical devices, biotechnology, and specialty materials. Franklin hopes to use the economic opportunity area designation as an incentive to encourage these existing businesses to expand, as well as to attract new businesses, promote a higher level of investment in the Town’s commercial and industrial areas, increase employment options for the Town of Franklin’s residents, and increase the Town’s commercial and industrial tax base.
The potential benefits resulting from the formation of these economic opportunity areas are substantial not only for property owners and businesses within the economic opportunity areas, but also for the Town of Franklin and the region in general. A tax increment finance agreement is a 5 to 20 year property tax exemption based on the increased value of the property due to new construction or significant improvements.
The municipality supports the use of Tax Increment Financing agreements, especially for development projects that create livable wage jobs, support innovative technologies, and result in redevelopment of empty or underutilized industrially zoned properties or development of new facilities. In addition to the possibility of negotiating a tax increment finance agreement with the Town of Franklin, potential economic benefits for companies within economic opportunity areas can be significant, including an investment tax credit for qualifying tangible depreciable assets, as well as a ten-percent abandoned building tax deduction for costs associated with the renovation of a building that has been at least seventy-five percent vacant for two or more years.
Franklin is continually looking for ways to create conditions favorable for business expansion, and assist property owners fill the Town’s currently empty or underutilized industrially zoned manufacturing, warehouse and office space. The Town is hopeful expanding businesses will take advantage of these opportunities.
Please contact Planning and Community Development Director, Bryan Taberner, if you have questions or require additional information regarding the Town of Franklin’s economic opportunity area initiative, or the Economic Development Summit being held on October 27th.
On September 29 the Franklin Town Council voted 8-0 to approve the change in downtown roads from one-way to two-way traffic. In addition, the Council decided to hold an additional hearing on Wednesday, October 20, to discuss putting utilities underground on portions of East Central Street.
There is a Public Hearing about the Downtown Improvement Project scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29, on the 2nd floor of the Municipal Building. The hearing will be part of the regular Town Council meeting.
The following is a letter written by the Franklin Downtown Partnership Board of Directors to the Town Council regarding the project. We invite you to either scroll through the attached or print it out for future reference.
The Franklin Downtown Partnership Board of Directors also sent a letter to the Town Council regarding the proposal to put utilities underground on East Central Street. Again we invite you to scroll through the letter or print it out for future reference.
Yesterday's Harvest Festival drew thousands to downtown Franklin yesterday. Our generous sponsors and tireless volunteers made our 7th annual Festival a complete success.
This is the layout of the booths for the Harvest Festival sponsored by the Franklin Downtown Partnership. The Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday, Sep 26 2010 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Harvest Festival press release can be found here
Note: the map is not to scale but is meant to provide a good idea of the layout of the booths and exhibits at the Harvest Festival. You can print a copy to take with you to the Festival.
Our Harvest Festival will be this Sunday, September 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join us downtown for a day of music, food, crafts, classic cars, kids games and fun for the whole family. The seventh annual Harvest Festival is made possible through the generous contributions by our sponsors!
Once again the Franklin Downtown Partnership expects this year’s seventh annual Harvest Festival to be even larger than in years past. With more food vendors, more music and entertainment, a classic car show and more than 100 crafters, the Partnership predicts close to 3,500 visitors will attend this year’s event. The festival will be Sunday, September 26, from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. There is no rain date scheduled. The event will be held in downtown Franklin on Main Street, East Central Street, West Central Street and Summer Street. “We plan to have something for everyone,” says Lisa Piana, the Partnership’s executive director. “We will have classic cars for the guys, games for the kids, and plenty of crafters for everyone.” Three bands will entertain the crowds. Local favorites Random Play will perform on East Central Street at the Cafe Dolce patio, Knuf Said will appear on the center island in front of the Rome Restaurant, and Nothing to No One will take the stage on Main Street. One new addition this year is the Historical Museum will be open for tours. Volunteers will hold a bake sale with apple cider served on the porch. Other highlights include the Farmers Market, painting demonstrations, and a children’s area filled with games, face painting and a moon walk. More food vendors have been added to the mix this year. Along with the Partnership’s food stand selling hot dogs and slushies at Dean Bank, there will be booths set up at the Berry Insurance parking lot offering sausage sandwiches, fried dough, lemonade, chicken and hamburgers. “The food vendors were a hit last year so we added even more for this weekend. Visitors should definitely come hungry,” says Mary Graff, festival coordinator. Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation is this year’s Gold Sponsor, and Middlesex Savings Bank is the Silver Sponsor. Bronze Sponsors include Chestnut Dental Associates, CVS Pharmacy, Dean Bank, Ferguson Enterprises, NHS Print, Ten Key, Inc., and Doherty, Ciechanowski, Dugan and Cannon, P.C. According to Executive Director Lisa Piana, “We are able to have this festival each year due to the generosity of our sponsors and the support from the police department.” As a non-profit organization the FDP depends on sponsors to fund all events. Visitors to the festival can find parking at the old municipal building on Emmons Street, Dean College on West Central Street, and at the library. Traffic will be detoured from East Central Street to Cottage Street. Visitors should plan accordingly since Main Street will be closed. Anyone who would like to sponsor future events should contact the FDP at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com. Any business or resident who would like to become a member can call (774)571-3109, visit the office at 9 East Central, or go to http://franklindowntownparntership.blogspot.com. The Partnership’s mission is to stimulate economic development in the downtown to create a positive impact throughout the area.