Franklin EDC reviews industrial and commercial nodes plan, forwards package to common council and votes to enter closed session

Commissioners reviewed the strategic-plan implementation package focused on industrial and commercial node prioritization and discussed a site-by-site approach to attracting investment.

Staff summarized consultant work (identified in the packet as Technos Associates or earlier Ticknor/Tickner work) and walked members through a list of candidate sites—Whitnall outlots (Menards area), the Loomis/St. Martin parcel, Civic Center infill at Rawson and Forest Home, Coal Park/entrepreneurial sites and larger proposals such as Bad Axe Village. Commissioners debated where the city can be proactive (broker outreach, targeted incentives, or applying TIF) and where private ownership limits direct city influence; members repeatedly emphasized being “ahead of the curve” by proactively marketing ready parcels rather than waiting for developer inquiries.

The commission agreed to formalize the prioritized list and forward the implementation package to the common council for adoption; members suggested targeting an early-May council meeting. The commission also approved a motion to meet in closed session to deliberate potential commercial and industrial development prospects for market-competition reasons; the packet cites Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1) as the authority for closed-session deliberations.

Members spent the latter portion of the meeting resolving recurring scheduling and quorum problems for commission meetings, agreeing to target the last Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. where practical to reduce conflicts with other boards and common-council meetings. Two commission seats were noted as open.

Next procedural steps recorded in the meeting: staff will refine the implementation packet for forwarding to the common council and the commission will re-enter open session after closed-session deliberations to act on matters as appropriate.