Franklin as a ‘regional core'

Main Street and beyond: into the future with a positive outlook Franklin — Among the changes coming down the road for Franklin are a new vision statement in which the borough projects itself “as the core of a regional center” that will extend to Hamburg and parts of Hardyston over the next 20 years. It was all part of the conversation during a hearing on the recently completed review of the Borough Master Plan. That review was unanimously approved at a public hearing on Oct. 21. The reexamination report was prepared by the board’s planner Ken Nelson, of the Nelson Consulting Group. Under Municipal Land Use Law, master plans must be reviewed every six years. The report adopted by the board updates Franklin’s current 2003 Master Plan. During the public hearing on the report, Nelson explained the process and the documents that were under consideration. “This new reexamination report is the result of nearly a year of hard work by the planning board and its professionals,” said Jim Kilduff, Franklin’s director of Planning and Community Development. Looking ahead In addition to the report, the board adopted recommendations for changes to the zoning map and certain amendments to the plan. When approved by the governing body, changes to the zoning map could affect zoning for approximately a dozen properties. The plan amendments include the new vision statement, a new circulation plan and inclusion of the 2006 Main Street Revitalization Plan. The new vision statement projects Franklin “as the core of a regional center.” According to the statement, the Route 23 corridor will have achieved a balance as an arterial roadway and a second Main Street. Franklin’s original Main Street “will have undergone a transformation making it again a focal point of the community.”