“One of the reasons people come to Franklin and one of the reasons some of us have stayed here is because we love this downtown,” observed Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey as other Franklin Town Council members nodded in agreement during the monthly meeting on Aug. 4.
As the council received a market analysis on how the former Angel Medical Center property could be used, Guffey noted, “It’s rare that a town has a chance to look at a property of this size, in this close proximity, to its downtown.”
With that thought hanging over the monthly meeting, the council looked at a number of improvements already underway and that could be made in the near future to enhance retail, housing, safety, and beautification of Franklin’s central area.
Turning to downtown development issues, the council approved conditional rezoning that will allow for construction of a new Kavod Fitness Center at 100 Cunningham Road and the voluntary annexation of 3044 Georgia Road.
Additionally, the owners of Kitchen Sink were the first merchants approved for reimbursement from Franklin’s Façade Improvement Grant. The owners will be paid $3,385.50 following completion of the project. Mayor Jack Horton encouraged other businesses to follow Kitchen Sink’s lead with this new economic incentive grant, which matches funds up to $5,000 for storefront improvements.
The council approved Webster Bank to finance the Clearwell and High Service Station project, Revize, to serve as the vendor for the town’s website redesign and maintenance, and Bryson Enterprises to conduct the Iotla Street sidewalk repairs, all of which will improve services and accessibility for homeowners and businesses downtown.
Cara-Lee Langston, project manager of the Franklin Farm Hub, provided an update on the nonprofit’s plan to increase food security and support for local farmers. Located at 1024 Lakeside Drive on 10 acres of land traditionally used for farming and horses, the Hub will serve as an educational farm, store, and cooperative center in which local farmers can share equipment, production facilities, and seed banks. Future development may include packing houses and cold storage space as the Hub builds up. For those wanting to follow developments, Langston suggested following Franklin Farm Hub on Facebook.
Future of old hospital site
Moving from Franklin’s tradition of agriculture to future economic development, council members then engaged in an in-depth conversation with Sara VanLear, project manager at the Development Finance Initiative (DFI), which has undertaken a comprehensive study of how to redevelop the former Angel Medical Center property and assist local officials in attracting private investment to Franklin.
The key takeaways from the DFI’s initial market analysis on how to redevelop the existing site were:
- demand likely exists for market-rate and affordable rental and for-sale units since housing stock for all income levels is highly constrained in Macon County; and
- demand likely exists for retail, however, low lease rates averaging $11 per square foot in/near downtown pose financial hurdles to retail construction.
The site’s visibility and accessibility also pose challenges for retail development. For example:
– If retail is a key public interest for this site, residential development is likely needed to be added first to enable future retail construction.
– If public amenities (for example, outdoor recreation) are a public interest for this site, adding these amenities could facilitate demand for more retail services.
– Near-term focus on increasing downtown activity and retail performance will likely benefit the long-term prospects for retail on the site.
VanLear provided concrete examples of how other North Carolina communities have developed multifamily housing units drawing on public private partnerships.
Guffey later remarked that while this could be one outcome of the town’s planning, he did not want the community to take away the impression that Franklin was planning to introduce a large-scale low-income apartment complex on the site, and that this was just one of many preliminary ideas coming out of the analysis.
Further to DFI’s presentation, which will be continued at the October meeting, the council discussed a recent conversation with the N.C. Department of Transportation on repaving Main Street and increasing safety, walkability, and access to local businesses. N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will put out bids in 2026, and work will begin in 2027.
As the district engineer, Wesley Grindstaff, explained to council members during the recent discussion, “We [DOT] own the street, but it’s your town and so you should develop the main street the way you want to, and the way to do that is to have an adopted plan in place.”
With that in mind, Guffey called upon the council to initiate a redevelopment plan starting in 2025 so that it could be incorporated into NCDOT’s process and potentially link to the other projects underway such as the Franklin Farm Hub and the redevelopment of the Angel Medical site.
Near the end of the meeting, council members expressed their dissatisfaction with the Macon County Board of Commissioners’ decision to appoint Richard Brady to the Town of Franklin Planning Board in lieu of the council’s recommendation to re-appoint Janet Greene. Horton shared that no attempt had been made to vet the candidates for the planning board.
“If we’re going to be partners, both entities need to be up to date on what the situation is with individuals and appointments and make sure that we keep the communications open. I think the town’s done a lot to build that relationship,” said Horton.
As Greene had recently been elected chair of the planning board and indicated a willingness to serve in a different capacity if allowed, the council directed the town attorney to review the process for appointing Greene to the alternate position on the planning board. Guffey requested that the planning board not meet again until this issue can be revisited at the council’s next meeting on Sept. 2.