The Franklin Town Council held public hearings on three proposed affordable housing complexes during the monthly meeting on May 6. While the council gave approval for the conditional zoning requested for the three projects, it is expected only one project will be selected by the state this year.
“We are all competing for the same resources,” said Breck Kean from Rea Ventures, which is proposing a multi-family complex on Allman Drive. In addressing the need for housing, he said, “I would like to say all three of these projects should be built,”
The three developers are applying for tax credits through Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program administered by the N.C. Housing Finance Agency.
Council member Rita Salain pointed out all three had received support from the Southwestern Commission, which has indicated one of the Macon County projects will likely be approved. “It’s our turn,” she said.
The projects that are not approved this year can reapply next year or in subsequent years.
The projects being considered are The Lofts, with 54 units for people age 55+; Franklin Falls, a 60-unit multifamily complex with four buildings; and Franklin Abbington Mill, with 48 multi-family units in three buildings. All the complexes include amenities such as laundry, computer room, community-use room, fitness center and outdoor recreation spaces.
The Lofts and Franklin Falls are located off Siler Road (with Indigo apartments between the two properties) and Abbington Mill is on Allman Drive near the intersection of Sawmill Village Lane.
Stephen Drake from Broad Craft Construction & Development said they specialize in providing affordable senior housing and is “something we take great pride in.”
Drake said the one apartment complex in Macon County that is designated for senior housing, Oak Forest, has a waiting list. “There is definitely a need for senior housing,” he said.
The Lofts is designed as one building and all the units will have access from an interior corridor. Drake said there will be an elevator and all the amenities will be 100% ADA accessible.
Tamara Zwinak said she has lived in the Indigo apartment complex on Siler Road since it opened and estimates there are 15-20 seniors living there. She said she sees a need for housing specifically to meet the needs of older residents and that some seniors do not want to live in a complex where there are children, which can sometimes lead to conflicts between neighbors.
She said she supported the project for the senior apartments and advocated for sidewalk construction for both projects, both of which would be located next to Indigo.
In speaking about the proposed multi-family project, Zwinak addressed the need for outdoor spaces, a connector to the library, and room for places for children to ride their bicycles other than in the parking lots. “We need to have more space in complexes for children to play,” she said.
Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey also asked about the developers creating connections from their properties to the Little Tennessee River Greenway. The property for the Franklin Falls project borders town property that will be used as part of the town’s Greenway connector. Tammy Stern from Solstice Partners said they could look at the possibility of a connector.
Guffey said, “To me it would be ridiculous if we have this many people living on Siler Road . . . to not have some sort of connectivity to the biggest recreational asset in our county, and to have a way to get to the community college, the library and retail.”
Part of the conditions of the zoning approval is the construction of sidewalks along Siler Road to make the area more pedestrian friendly.
“The problem I see overall is a lack of pedestrian connectivity,” said Guffey, adding that connectivity adds value not only to the town and its residents but also to the development.
There was also a discussion about bus stops being built.
Earlier in the meeting. Darlene Asher, director of Macon County Transit. presented information about the Mountain Gem Route which serves areas within the town limits.
When Guffey asked her about the possibility of adding bus stops at the new apartment complexes, Asher said she would be willing to work with the developers.
Guffey said these projects could help establish a pattern or standard for future development on Siler Road. “It’s our job to look 25 years down the road and figure out what this neighborhood is going to look like.”
Drake said in developing communities it can be difficult to find a site that does not require people to cross a major road to get to the grocery store.
Guffey said, “You’re servicing a population that shouldn’t be burdened by the need to have a car to drive a couple of blocks down to go to the drug store.”
In approving the conditional zoning, the council stipulated that the developers would add sidewalks and in good faith work toward adding bus stops and/or a Greenway connection. In addition to approving the conditional zoning requests, the council approved the water/sewer capability for each project as follows:
The Lofts – 24,000 gallons per day (GPD) water, 14,400 GPD sewer.
Franklin Falls - 24,000 GPD water, 14,400 GPD sewer.
Franklin Abbington Mill – 19,200 GPD water, 10,800 GPD sewer.
Kean said the applicants will find out by the end of this summer if they have been approved for the tax credit funding. He said if their project gets awarded, they will start the permitting process with construction beginning later in 2025 and completion in 2026.
Prior to the close of the meeting, Mayor Jack Horton said he has asked Salain to represent the town on the Macon Program for Progress housing board. Salain said she was thrilled to see the proposed housing projects that came before the council.
Town Budget
Town Manager Amie Owens presented the council members with a copy of the proposed 2024-25 budget. The proposed General Fund budget is $5,197,500. The general fund budget as presented will not require an appropriation from the fund balance. “In order to reduce the budget to the full extent possible, we have reduced the General Fund operating budget to minimal levels,” Owens stated in her budget summary.
The property tax rate will remain the same at 33 cents per $100 valuation.
The total budget, including the Fire Department and Water/Sewer is $11,941,449, which is an increase of 8% over the 2023-24 budget. The Fire Department is requesting that the fire tax rate increase from .0524 to .07 per $100 of valuation. The fire tax rate must be approved by the Macon County Board of Commissioners.
Owens said the largest increases in expenditures come from health and dental insurance premiums, a mandatory increase in employer retirement contributions, retiree health insurance, workers compensation and property and liability insurance, utility increases and other material costs.
The council will hold a budget workshop at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 20 in the board room at Town Hall. The budget is available online at franklinnc.org.
(Additional information about the budget will be available in future editions of The Franklin Press.)
The next regular Franklin Town Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, June 3. Franklin Town Hall will be closed Monday, May 27 for the Memorial Day holiday.