The Franklin Town Council met in a called session on Aug. 30 to discuss the future of the Whitmire property, also known as Sunnyside Park.
The town bought the 12.71-acre property in 2004 for $1.57 million and has no debt on the property. In 2008, the property was appraised at $2.1 million. The current tax value is $1,963,750, according to the Macon County Tax Administrator’s office. The property is located on First Street, off Highlands Road in East Franklin.
Last week’s meeting began with Council member Joe Collins giving some history behind the purchase; he was serving as mayor when the town bought the land.
Collins said when they first began discussing the purchase of the property, they were looking at it as an option for a new city complex and moving Town Hall, which was then located on West Main Street, where the Lazy Hiker is now.
“It would have fit perfect for what it was intended,” Collins said.
However, he said about the same time studies came out stressing that local governments should not abandon their downtowns. The Scottish Tartans Museum had moved out of what was then known as the Burrell Building, leaving a vacancy on Main Street.
Collins said he thought it was the proper decision to renovate the Burrell Building for the new Town Hall; however, there were “a lot of bad feelings among a lot of people” that the town did not follow through with its original plans for the Whitmire property.
At one time there was talk of remodeling the old Whitmire house and using it as a police department, but Collins said that never got much traction because the house needed so much work. The house was later torn down.
Over the years, there has been talk about what the town should do with the property or whether it should be sold. Mayor Jack Horton said the question was, “What can we do with this asset to make it beneficial for the most people?”
In 2021, the town opened the Whitmire property for public access with the opening of Sunnyside Disc Golf Course. The town council also has committed to building a skate park there.
During last week’s meeting, each board member had the opportunity to share their ideas about how the property could be used. Everyone was agreeable that recreation was an option, with Collins presenting the idea of an amphitheater on one part of the property, and Council Member Rita Salain favored a mixed-use development with housing and recreation.
A 2018 study of the property identified the top three potential uses as passive recreational cultural use, land banking (securing future development sites), and mixed development housing and commercial.
Salain said she wanted the town to explore the idea of a mixed-use development. “I love green space, I think we need more of it, but we need housing for people who live and work in Franklin.”
She pointed out the town could also explore resources that would help improve the neighborhood surrounding the property.
Council Member David Culpepper added, “Whatever goes there needs to lift that section up.”
Culpepper supports more recreation options and more opportunities for the town’s youth. He said the town focuses on tourists and retirees at the expense of local youth.
“You cannot ignore the most important demographic in our community,” Culpepper said with applause from those attending.
He said there needs to be activities for the kids who don’t play mainstream sports such as football, baseball or basketball. “Kids are second class if they don’t play those sports,” he said.
He said by investing in other recreation options, the town is telling those kids they have value. “It’s a mental concept of valuing people who are undervalued.”
In summing up the discussion, Horton identified the top priorities for the property as recreation, entertainment and housing.
In the motion presented by Stacy Guffey, the town will start with “Phase 1” in developing recreation on about 6.5 acres of the property while studying the possibility for housing on 4.5 acres and keeping the remainder for the town to possibly use in the future. Those numbers could change based on the plan developed for the property.
The motion passed 5-1 with Salain casting the opposing vote. Following the meeting she said she supported recreation and mixed use of the property, but she felt too much acreage was designated for recreation as the motion was presented.
Now that they have direction from the council, Town Manager Amie Owens and staff will begin developing a scope of services so the town can put out a Request for Proposals. There will also need to be an environmental study on the site. Owens said she hoped to see some movement on the project in early 2023.