The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A purchase that township officials said will impact Franklin for decades to come was approved May 24 by the Township Council.
The council voted to award a contract worth $80,608 to Hopewell-based 4Ward Planning for a market study of the Hamilton Street business district and the Corporate Business zone near Interstate 287.
It’s hoped that the study will result in suggestions for the types of businesses and development best suited for each zone.
The township two years ago created the Hamilton Street Advisory Board to help shepherd the redevelopment of what some hope will become the township’s “Main Street.” A handful of redevelopment projects – featuring first-floor retail with rental units above – are in various stages of approval by township planners.
The township’s Corporate Business zone is plagued by empty office buildings; the challenge will be to find ways to repurpose that space.
Todd J. Poole, 4Ward’s president, said the company hopes to have a report to the council by the first quarter of 2017.
The report will look at four major areas, he said: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of and to the two zones.
He said analysts will look at the township’s housing market and will speak to residents and business owners in gathering data.
Township Councilwoman Roz Sherman has advocated for such a study for years.
The study is something the township “had to do, if we wanted to stay on the cutting edge instead of falling behind,” she said. “This has been an amazing effort by everyone.”
Mayor Phil Kramer acknowledged that the plan has been discussed for years, but he said, “government takes time.”
“This is a major step forward for the township,” he said. “This is going to be something that will move Franklin for if not the next decade, then for decades to come,” he said.
