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Franklin zoning update spotlights proposed vape-shop limits and a heated debate over floodplain timing
Summary
At a Nov. 11 work session staff previewed Ordinance 2025-25 with amendments for overlays, the HG Hill area and proposed vape-shop restrictions; members also debated whether to keep or shorten the floodplain 'cumulative' window from five years to one year, with staff advising caution pending state guidance.
Franklin — Planning staff presented the city’s annual zoning update and two of the session’s most contested topics — proposed regulations for vape shops and a debate over floodplain substantial-improvement timing — at the Board of Mayor and Aldermen work session on Nov. 11.
Kelly, planning staff, said Ordinance 2025-25 carries a series of text amendments and map changes requested as part of the routine annual update, including removing a city-owned 54-acre parcel from a proposed historic-preservation overlay and aligning zoning text with Envision Franklin to allow three stories with a 10-foot stepback on the HG Hill property along Columbia Avenue.
Vape shops: Joel, the staff planner who led the research presentation, said many peer cities are moving to define and limit specialty…
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