The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
By Arnold Schmidt.
So who amongst us wouldn’t want a new bookstore, a nice restaurant, Home Goods-type store, an indoor sports center or other commercial business to fill the empty Kmart space when instead we can have 200 – 300 brand new sparkling condominiums or rental apartments in a 3 – 4 story structure overlooking Easton Avenue?
Who would be against another 400 – 500 cars routinely entering and exiting that parking lot backing up the Easton Ave. and JFK Blvd. intersection? A little more traffic congestion, noise and air pollution to enhance our quality of life – not a problem. And who amongst us wouldn’t want another several hundred children in our school system? Think of the additional jobs it would create (and increase our property taxes) due to the corresponding, necessary increase in infrastructure to support this; more teachers (maybe more school construction), administrative and support staff, increased emergency services, a larger police force, impact on our water and sewerage systems.
Did you know that it’s possible for a developer to submit an application to one of our appointed oversight review boards, applying for variances, to potentially make something like this happen? Our Township Council would likely have little if any control or recourse over a development like this if an authorized local board approved it. Is it possible that a property owner would purposefully inflate square footage rental rates to dissuade commercial businesses from moving into a vacant property awaiting a lucrative offer from a developer to buy the property? Not just the site previously noted, any site. Could this actually happen? A short-term loss for the long-term financial gain could be a good business model. Nothing illicit about it.
A property owner selling to a developer who believes they can get the coveted and needed variances and approvals to make their project a reality. I guess it’s not totally unreasonable to imagine a Kmart Kommons Kondos or other similar projects. It has a nice marketing alliterative sound to it.
On a related note, it’s time for our appointed boards to stand up tall, within their legal authority, to support our Township Council’s goal of increasing, not decreasing our forested areas, as is currently occurring. Using whatever binding approach possible, variances should not be granted for proposed developments that will further congest our roads, pollute our air, and destroy our beautiful tree canopies that help reduce air pollution, decrease flooding, and control climate change.
It’s time to say no to projects, big or small, that need variances that are contrary to our Township Master Plan, contrary to the goals of our elected leaders and to those of the people of Franklin.
Thank you for giving this some thought.
