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Franklin EDC approves staff sign-off for small industrial-park changes
Summary
The Franklin City Economic Development Commission approved an amendment to Plan Development District No. 7 that lets planning staff approve small site or building changes in the Franklin Industrial Park, reserving larger projects and parking changes for commission review and the planning commission.
The Franklin City Economic Development Commission on Thursday approved an amendment to Plan Development District No. 7 that creates a category of “minor amendments” for the Franklin Industrial Park and delegates approval of those small projects to planning staff.
The change defines a minor amendment as routine work such as a fence or a building addition that increases total floor area by less than 5%, with one explicit exception: changes that expand or reconfigure parking will remain “major” and continue to require commission or planning-commission review. “This is a proposed amendment to the, plan development district ordinance that regulates what approvals are needed for improvements to existing buildings or new buildings in the industrial park,” Planning Manager Regulo Martinez told the commission.
The ordinance language sets measurable standards (the 5% threshold) instead of the broader subjective tests currently in the Unified Development Ordinance. Martinez said the objective is to speed permitting for businesses: staff approvals could take “2 or 3 weeks,” while items that must go before the Economic Development Commission can take “at least 30 days” because of scheduling and meeting cadence.
Commissioners who spoke supported streamlining for small projects but some raised checks-and-balances concerns, saying the change removes a layer of public review for certain site changes. Commissioners emphasized that major projects — new buildings, additions above the 5% threshold and parking-lot work — will still come before the Economic Development Commission and, where appropriate, the planning commission and common council.
The commission’s recommendation will go next to the planning commission; final approval would be decided by the Common Council. Staff noted a similar ordinance for Plan Development District No. 18 was approved last year for the same purpose.
What this means going forward: eligible small projects in PDD No. 7 will be routed to planning staff for review and, if they meet the measurable standards, processed administratively; larger projects and parking changes will continue to require public commission review.
