THIS WEEK, I AM WRITING A FIVE-PART SERIES ON THE TOP ISSUES FRANKLIN FACES. TODAY, ISSUE #2.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Franklin needs to do a lot better when it comes to attracting new businesses that will, in turn, create jobs and expand the tax base.
That’s not to say the city hasn’t had its share of success stories. As the city’s web site likes to boast, Franklin is proud to be "home" to the following businesses:
Northwestern Mutual
Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Wheaton Franciscan Health Care
Central Aquatics/All-Glass Aquarium
Aurora Health Care
Krones
General Automotive Manufacturing
Associated Surgical & Medical Specialists
Baptista's Bakery
Tuckaway Country Club
Wisconsin Energy/WE Energies
Electronic Cable Specialists
General ThermoDynamics/ThermaSys
Vesta
BD Medical
Carma Laboratories
Proteus Packaging
Transpak Corporation
Franklin Corporate Centre
Rocore
That’s an impressive list.
It needs to get bigger.
And the list certainly needs to diversify, especially in the area of high quality shopping and restaurants.
I’ve always been optimistic about Franklin’s potential, and wrote about it in one of my very first blogs in January:
“Fueling my optimism is the recent news that Sendik’s plans to open not one, but two supermarkets in the city. This is a major coup considering Sendik’s currently has several grocery stores in the Milwaukee area, but none are located in the southern portion of metropolitan Milwaukee. One of the new locations will be at the ultra-promising Fountains of Franklin. The other will be at the Shoppes of Wyndham Village at Highway 100 and Drexel Avenue.
Some residents near the Highway 100 site may not be thrilled about an increase in traffic, but I submit it’s not 1957 anymore, and that increased traffic means singing and ringing cash registers welcoming in new revenue, not to mention more jobs.
My friend Doug Wheaton, Economic Development Director for the city of Franklin told the Small Business Times last September that the question has to be asked if the re-zoning of the Highway 100 and Drexel site to accommodate an upscale shopping center that might include Sendik’s, restaurants, retail shops, banks, and a spa is the “highest and best use of the site.” The answer, of course, is yes.
The citizenry of Franklin, one that is growing by leaps and bounds, is crying out for high-quality destination places to dine and shop. I’m not talking Applebee’s and Family Dollar. I’m talking the kinds of places that have people excited about getting in their cars and driving to Mayfair or the new Bayshore Town Center. The point is, wouldn’t it be nice to have those opportunities here so a trip to Brookfield or Wauwatosa wouldn’t be necessary?
I must admit, I am a bit impatient. I want to see these developments sooner rather than later.
The expansion of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.'s corporate campus on S. 27th St. and the construction of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare's outpatient medical center at S. 27th St. and W. Oakwood Road are exactly the types of development Franklin needs to pursue. Maintaining a strong business and fiscal climate is critical to attracting such desirable employers and the jobs they create. That means holding the line on taxes and spending.”
That was in January.
This summer, we finally saw some movement at 51st and Rawson. The Sendik’s building is progressing nicely.
Andy’s on the NE corner of 51st and Rawson is finally open. (Whoopee. It’s a nice enough looking establishment, but it is, after all, a gas station that also operates as a convenience store. More than one city leader told me when I asked if other options were available for that prime spot of real estate that after 10 years of looking, this was”the best we (Franklin) could do.” That is sad.)
Behind the actual Franklin of Fountains office, very little is happening. There have been no announcements about future tenants.
The Shoppes at Wyndham Village project is mired in the usual bureaucratic mess that delays the ultimate construction: one too many Planning Commission hearings, too many folks who envision themselves as world-class architects and designers.
It should come as no surprise why even a booming city like Franklin is stuck in slow motion when it comes to the ever critical area of economic development. Wisconsin is a tax hell. The same can be said about how we over-regulate.
Wisconsin’s business climate is one of the worst in the country; 38th according to the 2007 version of the State Business Tax Climate Index was prepared by the Tax Foundation in Washington, D.C., 44th according to Forbes.com.
There are reasons our business climate is horrendous. Our high taxes, for sure. The leftist environmental movement also plays a damaging role.
Wisconsin businesses are being placed at a serious competitive disadvantage nationally and globally because of the radical tactics used by environmental groups who aggressively lobby the Department of Natural Resources. They work around the clock to try to halt growth.
In the previous legislative session in Madison, when Republicans controlled both the Senate and the Assembly, one of the few times there was significant consensus between the GOP and Governor Doyle was on streamlining some of the ridiculously burdensome regulations and permitting processes that often chased potential businesses, and jobs, to other states. The problem was that the Governor and the Legislature didn’t go far enough. We still over-regulate in Wisconsin.
Closer to home, in Franklin, there has been some opposition to one of the promising development projects, the Shoppes at Wyndham Village, because the proposed Target store doesn’t meet the aesthetic standards of some residents. That’s a nice way of saying they hate the way it looks.
A petition drive was mounted to attempt to force the city to agree to building upscale developments. The effort, while arguably commendable, (nobody likes junky looking buildings in a brand new development) was flawed.
The wording of the petition drive was too broad and vague. Terms like “upscale” were not defined and highly subjective. My idea of upscale might be entirely different than my neighbor’s.
Also, the petition drive’s credibility was questionable. I’ve been in politics a long time. Every petition I’ve ever encountered required a name, an address, a signature. Allowing anonymity on the part of petitioners raises red flags.
I consider energy focused on the outside appearance of Target to be using tunnel vision. Is it an important consideration? Again, I say, of course. But I prefer to concentrate on the bigger picture, the larger issue beyond the Target façade, and that is the future of economic development in this city. The opposition to Target only serves to delay a worthwhile project, preventing jobs from being made available sooner rather than later, and depriving Franklin residents of the shopping opportunities they have been demanding for some time.
The naysayers fail to recognize the harm that’s being done. There’s a certain elitist snobby attitude on the part of environmentalists that they know more than you do. They’re a major reason the permitting process in Wisconsin is exponentially longer than procedures used in other states. It might be considered noble to stand up, pose for holy pictures and claim you want the best, but it can also lead to nothing being accomplished, and businesses looking elsewhere, taking their prized jobs with them.
Rest assured, other potential developers who have their eyes on Franklin are keeping tuned in to what’s happening surrounding the Target situation. It’s highly plausible that they don’t appreciate what is transpiring, and may have already made the decision to pitch their business-making tents in another zip code.
Meanwhile, if you want to partake in quality shopping and quality dining, you must get in your car and drive outside of Franklin. We claim that we want new business, but then we throw tacks in the road to progress. We can be our own worst enemy.
Keep your eyes on the prize, Franklin. It’s not whether a development fits into your individual definition of upscale. It’s all about making it more affordable, attractive, and easier for businesses to locate here, not more difficult.
Tomorrow, the #1 issue our city must tackle.
FRANKLIN’S TOP 5 ISSUES
1) ?
2) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
3) STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
4) SEX OFFENDERS
5) FRANKLIN’S IDENTITY CRISIS
DON’T WANT A BIG INCREASE IN YOUR SCHOOL TAXES? CONTACT FRANKLIN SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS NOW.
