Further observations on the proposed "Shops at Wyndham Village" (labeled below as "Carstensen Commercial Development") and the "City Civic Center" concept.
The picture above shows placement of three Franklin "public utility" buildings within the blue border of the "City Center Design Overlay": the Police Station, City Hall and Library. The Post Office is farther south, cropped out of this picture (and, of course, not in pedestrian range of the above-named facilities).
It's a layout consistent with typical car-dependent suburban sprawl. Every facility is its own "pod" with oceans of parking all around (the Law Enforcement Center is particularly awe-inspiring in terms of available parking). There is no "City Center" where a person might park once and accomplish more than one thing in a single trip (say, visit the library and then mail a package). And, unfortunately, there are only banks on the corners across from the library (useful to a limited number of people).
Despite the apprehensions of people living across Drexel from the proposed "The Shops at Wyndham Village" (in a subdivision also built by Mark Carstensen), they might find it very nice to live in walking distance of upscale shopping and, one would assume, cafes and coffee shops. A public space! However, the parcel of land Carstensen was able to acquire is "sprawled out" away from the library/city hall area to the extent that it might become just another "pod" to drive to without a relationship to the public buildings of Franklin (which I first noted in this post). There's no sidewalk on Drexel connecting the library to the Carstensen site, and no plans to create one; it's up to each property owner to put in sidewalk.
Maybe commerical infill all along the Drexel "dead space," which would come with a sidewalk in front of each business? I wouldn't hold my breath. Why locate your business there if you can get inside Wyndham Village?
Instead, one might expect some further commercial development in the area across Hwy. 100 from the possible Shops at Wyndham Village (right next door to a SuperAmerica station and adjacent to neighborhoods; outlined in white above). Again, no relationship to the library, etc., but possibly nice for the neighborhoods and apartments to the west.
Can this area truly become a "civic center" without filling in some of the spaces between the Police Station, City Hall and the Library?
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