The Franklin Town Council approved an amendment Monday night that will make things easier for people renovating or building a new home.
The amendment will allow people to temporarily live in an RV or camper while working on their house. To be approved for the new Temporary Use Permit, the applicants must have an active building permit from the county. The Temporary Use Permit would be good for one year with a six-month extension allowed if work is still ongoing. Once the Certificate of Occupancy is issued upon completion of the construction, the applicant would have 60 days to vacate the temporary unit.
“I think it will get used quite a bit,” said Town Planner Justin Setser during the March 4 Town Council meeting. He said in the previous nine months there were times when he received several calls a month from people asking about living in a temporary structure on their property because they could not find a place to rent while they were renovating or building a new house.
The council did not set a fee for the permit but will take that up again at a future meeting. No one signed up to speak at the public hearing on the amendment and the council unanimously approved it.
Rezoning approved
The council also held a public hearing on the rezoning of 115 properties in the Old Murphy Road area. The rezoning process started in July 2023 has been reviewed multiple times by the Franklin Planning Board with input from citizens in the area.
All the properties in the area were previously zoned commercial except the rock quarry property, which is zoned industrial. Under the new rezoning there is a mix of commercial, residential, Neighborhood Mixed Use and the industrial zoning for the rock quarry.
Setser said they had addressed the concerns of property owners who had spoken at previous meetings.
Council member David Culpepper said he was still sensitive to the fact that something the council decides now could impact how someone uses their property in the future. “It doesn’t sit well with me,” he said.
Council member Rita Salain countered that people who bought homes in traditional residential areas do not want businesses going in next door to them.
The properties are located outside the town limits but within the town’s Extra Territorial Jurisdiction. Town attorney John Henning Jr. said it is understood that municipalities grow over time, and this gives them some say in how areas adjacent to the town grow and to plan ahead for what those areas will look like in the future.
Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey referenced an email they received from a resident stating, “Please leave this area residential and don’t turn it into another Georgia Road.”
“I can understand that,” Guffey said.
Council Member Joe Collins said they opened the process to the public and listened to comments and although it was not a smooth process, he was willing to move forward with the rezoning.
No one signed up to speak at the public hearing Monday night. The rezoning passed 4-1 with Culpepper opposed; Collins, Salain, Guffey and Tompa in favor. Mayor Jack Horton was absent, and Guffey chaired the meeting. Council Member Mike Lewis also received an excused absence for the meeting.
Anyone who has questions about the zoning of their property can contact Town Planner Justin Setser at 828-524-2516, ext. 311 or jsetster@franklinnc.com.
Public hearings set
The Town Council will hold public hearings on April 1 to get input on two affordable housing apartment complexes proposed for Siler Road. The public hearings will be part of the regular Town Council meeting beginning at 6 p.m.
The Lofts would be one three-story building with 54 units for senior citizens (age 55+). The plan for Franklin Falls calls for a multi-family complex with three three-story buildings with 60 apartments (one, two and three bedrooms) and a fourth building that will serve as community center.
Guffey asked about the need for a traffic study. Setser said the Department of Transportation would not require one, but DOT would require the developers to build turn lanes into the properties.
There was also a discussion about sidewalks and making the area more walkable with Guffey saying there are already “sidewalks to nowhere” on Siler Road.
Culpepper said the apartments would be within walking distance of the library, Macon Early College, the SCC Macon Campus, and shopping. “This is a home run for that type of setting,” he said.
Henning said sidewalks and traffic impact studies could be discussed as conditions placed on the developments.
Culpepper said that while some parameters might be necessary, “We want them to get built. We need housing.”
Both developments have applied for conditional zoning – the first since the town approved the use of conditional zoning as an alternative to traditional zoning in December.
Next meeting
The next Franklin Town Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, April 1 in the board room on the lower level of Town Hall.
Town Hall offices will be closed Friday, March 29 for Good Friday.