Franklin Common Council Hears New Housing Proposals

FRANKLIN, WI — The Franklin Common Council heard the concept reviews for three potential housing developments across the city at its meeting Tuesday.

Almost 400 new single-family homes from three separate projects were submitted for concept review at Tuesday's meeting. The developments, if they move forward, would create new subdivisions in these areas: West Meadowview Drive and South 112th Street, 9732 West Ryan Road and 12200 West Ryan Road.

The concept review is one of the first submissions that a developer makes to the city. None of the developments were acted on by the Council — The reviews are an opportunity for the proposals to hear initial feedback from the city, Mayor Steve Olson said in the meeting.

Each proposal faced preliminary design issues such as zoning, land conservation and more. The developments are not in the final stage of city action, as each will require more comprehensive meetings down the road.

The developers could choose to work with the city and address staff concerns, push forward with other proposals or drop the development altogether.

Here is a rundown on each proposal that was scheduled to be heard at Tuesday's meeting:

9732 West Ryan Road

This development comes from Neumann Developments Inc., the same developer that constructed the Ryanwood Manor development.

The developer proposed a new subdivision which would create about 87 homesites near 9732 Ryan Road.

The new homesite's first proposal could faces issues with the 2025 Comprehensive Master Plan, according to a Franklin staff report presented to the Council Tuesday.

The proposal goes against the comprehensive plan because it would place homes in a section of Ryan Road frontage otherwise slated for commercial development. The proposed lots are also smaller than what is recommended for the area—13,000 square feet as opposed to the suggested 25,000, according to the staff report.

Representatives from Neumann Development said the lot size issue was decided on because the demand for larger lots is less than the demand for medium sized lots.

The Franklin Fire Department also stated concerns in city documents that the area is not well-served by existing resources and "response times for Effective Response Force (ERF) for both fire and emergency medical calls may not meet industry or department benchmark objectives."

The developer listed benefits of the development in documents submitted to the city:

"Facilitates growth needs for the City given the finite availability of future lands for development; Promotes efficient development and relatively low municipal, state, governmental, and utility costs; Provides convenient access to the City's businesses and amenities; Preserves wetlands and green space while encouraging passive use of open areas; Supplies attainable housing options appealing to a wider range of future home buyers; Balances individual property rights with community interests."

12200 West Ryan Road

This development was also proposed by Neumann Development Inc. It would create 183 new homesites near 122000 Ryan Road. The minimum lot size is about 8,500 square feet, documents submitted by Neumann Development show.

The city staff report on this development, which was presented to the common council, indicates that the development would pose an increase in density of single-family homes, and that the development may be underserved by the Franklin Fire Department with existing resources.

Staff also recommended that the developer better integrate the 116th Street Trail project into its design, and create a trailhead on one of the homesites. A future application for community resource improvements may be submitted.

Documents submitted to the city indicate the creation of a new district may be requested for a swimming pool, playgrounds and green space, although those suggestions will wait until the development is further decided on.

West Meadowview Drive and South 112th Street

This proposal's concept review was postponed until a future meeting. Bear Development, LLC, submitted the proposal to Franklin.

This development would create 115 home sites on about 92 acres of land near Meadowview Drive and 112th Street. City staff voiced concerns in agenda items about the development, citing issues with the 2025 Franklin Comprehensive Master Plan.

For one, the proposal is not consistent with the current zoning of the land, which is about 80 percent agricultural. The A-2 zoning designation is meant for "prime agricultural lands" to "prevent the premature conversation of agricultural land to scattered Urban and Suburban uses such as residential, commercial and industrial uses," according to meeting items, citing city zoning ordinance.

City documents also indicate that the development is not compatible with Franklin's comprehensive city plan because portions of the land are slated to be used for recreation, according to city documents.

The site is right next to the Franklin Savanna Natural Area, which is owned by Milwaukee County. A part of the land is earmarked for a future park expansion, according to the Franklin comprehensive plan, cited in meeting documents.

Developers chose to table the concept review for this development until a future meeting.