Protest stalls Franklin apartment plan

John Rasche reported in Franklin Now on the controversial Hickory Grove apartment complex, including a petition against it which could require a three-fourths majority of the Common Council to approve the project.

"The land in question was intended to be designated for multifamily developments when the PDD No. 25 was created for the Woodland Trails Condominiums in 1998, Planning Manager Joel Dietl said. Due to an admitted oversight by the city's planning department, however, the existing comprehensive master plan does not reflect the multifamily designation. Instead, the area is currently designated for residential, single-family homes.

"Many residents — including former Franklin mayors Tom Taylor and Fred Klimetz, as well as Milwaukee County Supervisor Steve Taylor, who is a former alderman — disagree that the single-family designation wasn't intended all along for that neighborhood."