Council approves amended PDD for Rawson/70th redevelopment after residents press for TIF transparency

The City of Franklin Common Council on Oct. 21 approved an amendment to Planned Development District No. 42 covering the redevelopment at roughly 7154 South 70th Street, reducing the previously proposed maximum residential density and increasing planned commercial space.

The council voted to adopt the ordinance, with the meeting record showing the motion carried with six ayes and no recorded nays. The amendment as described in staff materials reduces the maximum density (staff cited a 310-unit cap in the staff presentation) and increases commercial space to roughly 50,000 square feet; developers and staff described detailed site-plan and setback changes that will be reviewed in follow-up plan commission proceedings.

Why it matters: the project sits at a high-profile corner and is linked to a proposed Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district that residents said must meet Wisconsin’s TIF "but-for" test before the council approves public support. Residents said the project’s scale and possible impacts on traffic, noise and schools require fuller public disclosure of financial analyses before final approvals.

Residents who testified said they remain concerned about density, noise and transparency. "That's not a guideline. It's the law," resident Linda Bathrigg told the council as she cited Wisconsin Statute 66.1105 and urged the council to make financial analyses public before any TIF vote. Several neighbors urged a required sound study for proposed outdoor music and clearer written mitigation in the development agreement.

Developer response and commitments: Ian Martin, principal of Lane By Label, said the development has been revised repeatedly after community meetings and listed several changes made in response to neighbors. Martin said the project’s financial feasibility was reviewed by third-party consultants retained by the city and by his team; he told the council, "I would not do this project but for the TIF." He also said the developer has agreed to include a written commitment in the development agreement banning outdoor amplified music after 10 p.m. and that a traffic study submitted to Milwaukee County had been approved earlier in the week.

Staff and council notes: City staff and the plan commission recommended approval of the PDD amendment and a related site-plan amendment; detailed site and building plans will return to staff and the plan commission for technical review before permits are issued. The council discussion noted staff would finalize conditions in the ordinance and in the development agreement, including landscaping, natural-resource mitigation and additional engineering clarifications the staff report cited.

Clarifying details from the meeting: council and participants cited a range of specifics discussed at the Oct. 21 meeting: the staff presentation described a cap of about 310 dwelling units for the amended PDD; developer materials and earlier neighborhood summaries referenced a 304-unit layout as the preferred buildout in its proposals; commercial space was described as roughly 50,000 square feet (inclusive of an existing tenant, Harry's Ace Hardware); a developer-provided schedule of impact fees shown to the council totaled $2,286,885 (parks $516,000; water and sewer $1,107,000; police $145,350; fire $125,800; library $90,500; transportation and administrative fees also listed). The developer said his traffic study had received an approval letter from Milwaukee County that week. The developer also said private on-site infrastructure and private trash/snow-removal plans are intended to limit ongoing city maintenance burdens.

Next steps: the ordinance as amended passed the council and the site-plan and development-agreement details will be finalized by staff and returned to plan commission and council as required. The developer and city staff said they will place the agreed noise mitigation language and other performance standards into the development agreement and that detailed landscape and natural-resource mitigation plans will be submitted for staff review.

Ending: Council members and the developer said they would continue neighborhood outreach and finalize written commitments in the development agreement before construction permits are issued.