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.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Franklin Matters: United Regional Chamber moves downtown
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.
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.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Franklin, MA is looking to do business
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.
Franklin MA PR 20101027 Economic Summit Franklin, MA
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.
Franklin MA PR 20101027 Economic Summit Franklin, MA
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Traffic change approved
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.
Read the full article from the Milford Daily News here: www.milforddailynews.com/topstories/x399785561/Franklin-to-make-downtown-roads-two-way
For more information about the Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project click here: franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Planning/dtimprovement
To see more on the project you can also go up to the Projects tab for more links.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Letter to Town Council: Downtown Improvement Project
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.
Letter to Town Council: Underground Utilities
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.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Harvest Festival - 2010
Yesterday's Harvest Festival drew thousands to downtown Franklin yesterday. Our generous sponsors and tireless volunteers made our 7th annual Festival a complete success.
The Milford Daily News covered the event and published this story overnight: www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1319753256/Franklin-celebrates-fall-festival.
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