The village that time forgot?

If you live in Franklin you’ve heard of the Round Up, the village green, Streetscape, sidewalks, no grocery store, a coffee shop that almost was, air problems, wells, water, parking, shops, the Grill, the church playground, Huda School, baseball leagues, the Cider Mill and much more. The truth is, there is a lot to Franklin. It is both a thriving community of mostly single family homes surrounding a small business district and it is a historic home rule village governed by a charter that acts as our constitution. About 3300 people live here in about 1250 homes. In 2010, the median age in Franklin was 45.4 years, a little older than the rest of Oakland County.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the population in the area was shifting. When the village was incorporated in the 50’s less than 1,000 persons lived in the village. During the next 15 years, people wanted the amenities in the Village and Franklin’s population grew to over 3,300. During the 1970s, though, the pace of population growth slowed and concerns changed. In the 1970s-1990s, important issues were the pressure to use undeveloped land in the Village, installing public sewers and the need to stem perceived degradation of Village character. (2006 MP). The sewer issue has been largely resolved, albeit noisily, and there are strict rules that protect open spaces and large lots. The concern about village character continues.

What residents want. As part of the 2005 Master Plan preparation, residents identified their priorities in community meetings: roads, traffic, and pedestrian access. Data collected in 2015 from residents for the subsequent Master Plan was was consistent. (2006, 2015 Master Plans).

I believe strongly that village character is defined by the people who live there when they live there, not as defined by the needs of a post WWII environment that sought to protect what was important at that time. We do not live in a museum. Leaders have an obligation to understand the needs of residents and (not or) protect the amenities that brought people here in the first place.