Franklin Joint Review Board approves Tax Incremental District No. 11 to support Escala campus

The Franklin Joint Review Board voted to approve a resolution creating Tax Incremental District No. 11, a financing tool intended to support the Escala campus project, board member John Regitz said during the meeting on June 11, 2026.

Todd Toews, senior municipal advisor with Ehlers, told the board the public record — including planning commission and common council resolutions and the project plan — remains unchanged since the organizational meeting and that state statute requires the joint review board to review that public record before considering approval. "There have been no changes to the project plan since we last met," Toews said.

Board members and advisors said the district was created to facilitate a development incentive negotiated with Yaskawa. Regitz said the incentive is central to the project: "The project would not happen without TIF assistance," he said, and Toews concurred.

According to remarks in the meeting, the project would develop three currently vacant parcels in the Franklin Business Park and include a robotics facility, a 300,000-square-foot manufacturing warehouse, a company headquarters and a parking garage. Toews described the project costs as primarily the negotiated development incentive plus a few minor projects and infrastructure improvements.

A motion to approve the resolution creating Tax Incremental District No. 11 was made, seconded and approved by voice vote; the board announced that the motion carried and the resolution was passed. The meeting adjourned after the board completed the item.

The board’s action authorizes creation of the district and the uses described in the project plan; no changes to the plan were reported at the meeting.