Business

Thriving and diverse business environment to include downtown retail, tourism, and high-tech industry.

• Advocate the establishment of redevelopment districts that will focus on downtown and vacant commercial properties.
• Enhance venues and programs to support and promote advancement of heritage tourism.
• Support the recruitment of clean and high-tech industry.
• Explore the use of business enterprise zones.
• Support the extension of the downtown business district and enhancements to the district including extending business hours, increasing independent businesses, and providing amenities such as alleys, sidewalks, and public restrooms.
• Identify and support the needs of local businesses and their workforce, especially regarding education, affordable housing, and transportation.
• Promote cross-communication between community organizations to enhance the business community.
• Promote a pro-business attitude balanced with community standards for growth.

Community Character

High quality physical environment—existing and future—that is nationally recognized for its unique character, which is inspired by the best qualities of historic Franklin.

• Identify, locate, and create programs and resources to enhance the physical character of individual homes in existing neighborhoods.
• Create a residential in-fill model within the Central Franklin area.
• Ensure redevelopment districts retain the essential character of neighborhoods.
• Encourage rehabilitation of existing facilities, including the adoption of appropriate building codes and/or ordinances and the creation of a staff rehabilitation specialist position.
• Promote the creation of a strategic plan for identifying and preserving open space.
• Develop gateway standards, including the identification of gateways and design guidelines.
• Identify and map historic resources and be proactive to protect them.
• Explore resources for preservation of the history and small town character.
• Encourage community and cultural events – involving churches, schools, neighborhood associations, government or any organized group – to actively promote community involvement.

Education 

Educational programs that are nationally recognized for equity and excellence as evident by student achievement.

• Identify opportunities and gain support from government, local business, and developers for expanded higher education programs in the community.
• Ensure that efforts to promote affordable housing address the needs of educators.
• Increase awareness of and develop further resources for parenting skills, including  workshops and comprehensive tutoring program.

• Encourage the teaching within schools of citizenship and community service.
• Promote programs that spotlight positive student activities and volunteer efforts.
• Support the effective use of school facilities.
• Educate the community about its role in and responsibility for the funding and needs of the education system, including programs for gifted students, special needs students, and the arts (e.g. music) in the curriculum.

Environment 

High quality natural environment in which the resources and historic assets are conserved and enhanced.

• Support the preservation of green space that benefits the public through acquisition and other techniques, and provide connections for walking and biking to these areas.
• Support the protection of hillsides through effective ordinances.
• Explore ways for governments and other partners to cooperate in the implementation of a citywide recycling program.
• Support the cooperation of citizen groups working with government officials to protect the environment.
• Explore the adoption by city government of building codes and other means of enhancing energy efficiency in new and existing construction.
• Actively promote strategies for the enhancement of the Harpeth River and its watershed, and other natural, historic and recreational resources.

Government 

Outstanding local government with sophisticated land development tools, protective of historic character, high quality public services and facilities, and visionary leadership that fosters citizen involvement and cooperation with other area governments.

• Facilitate quarterly meetings between City and County elected officials and staff to discuss common issues.
• Encourage opportunities for citizen participation through appointments to ad hoc committees, Boards and Commissions.
• Establish an annual “town hall” meeting with Board of Mayor and Alderman.
• Promote effective communication with the citizens through electronic, web and other means and expand technology – e-government.
• Encourage participation in government by a diverse representation of our community.
• Seek improved coordination between and among utilities and local governments.
• Foster formal, regular, and effective orientation programs for elected and appointed officials.

Growth and Development

Carefully managed growth and development that reflects the small town and historic character and is both fiscally responsible and environmentally sound.

• Encourage interconnected, well-designed, mixed-use, mixed-income, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.
• Foster involvement of citizens and special interest groups in the planning and development process on growth and development issues.
• Advocate the adoption of regulations that promote housing and mixed-use commercial development in downtown historic district.
• Foster regular communications and programs to inform developers of community requirements and expectations.

Housing

Housing for all income levels, including choices in mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods throughout the City.

• Generate political momentum to increase the priority of measures to achieve the goal of mixed use and mixed income neighborhoods.
• Support ordinances that accommodate a diversity of housing types.
• Advocate for high-density residential development in locations with suitable infrastructure.
• Work with organizations that provide low interest rate loans and other incentives to allow current residents to rehabilitate and retain ownership of existing homes.
• Support the efforts of the Franklin Housing Authority to develop and advocate innovative housing opportunities.

Recreation

Wide variety of recreational, natural and cultural assets and activities that serve all ages.

• Continue support for funding of community recreational facilities and programs by the City, County and private sector.
• Encourage implementation of linked parks and recreational resources with paths, sidewalks and bikeways. 
• Encourage recreational use of the Harpeth River and the interaction of people with water resources.
• Promote historic sites as part of a recreation strategy.
• Make sure that recreational resources and parks have adequate means of access, by all modes of transportation.

Transportation 

A balanced, well-planned transportation system that accommodates alternate transportation mobility choices—walking, biking, mass transit and driving—and maximizes traffic flow.

• Support improvements to community scale transit service and continue to enhance and expand trolley service.
• Encourage City policies to incorporate a balanced transportation system.
• Create bike and pedestrian trails and sidewalks with support from public and private sectors that improve mobility throughout the community.
• Maximize the ease of flow of existing transportation infrastructure and support education concerning the benefits of connectivity and access.
• Promote transportation demand management programs.
• Promote enforcement of zero tolerance of traffic violations.