City Hears Concept For Commercial Developments On 76th And Rawson

FRANKLIN, WI — The latest potential development in Franklin comes in the form of converting more land near 76th and Rawson into drive-thru businesses such as food, coffee and possibly a bank.

The Common Council heard about the idea at its meeting Tuesday night. Rawson Ventures, LLC, submitted documents to the city for a concept review, an informal hearing to gather suggestions from city leaders.

If the development concept makes its way through the pipeline, the project would bring four new buildings in between McDonald's and Anderson Dental Services on 7400 Rawson Avenue. All four of the buildings would have drive-throughs. Up to six tenants would be able to move in.

Fast food restaurants, a drive-through coffee spot, a bank or credit union, general retail, office space or even a more formal restaurant are all suggested tenants of the development concept.

David Church, the developer, said the plan has been in the works for about a year now. In the meeting, Church asserted he had deals from national retailers that already want in on the project. Although the development could include mostly food, Church said in the meeting he's seeking to develop the property to get the best use of it.

"Nothing is completely baked, but these are real deals I have on the table," Church said. "I'm confident in their assessment of the area," he said about the market demand for the area.

That market demand in the area skews toward fast-casual dining, he said. Church is also the owner and operator of the Root River Center, a bowling alley and restaurant across the street from the potential development, he said in the meeting.

What's Next For The Development, Then?

The Council was not slated to confirm or otherwise act upon the development. As the city puts it:

"A Concept Review is an informal high-level perspective presentation of a potential land-use project by a developer to the Common Council. While not required, the Concept Review provides developers the opportunity to present a potential new development to perhaps obtain comments from Common Council members, prior to undertaking more detailed applications processes."

The first action that the developer would need to take is rezoning. Two homes already exist, so that area would need to be demolished and rezoned to commercial.

That's not the end of it though. The development will have to go through a host of decisions between the Common Council and other advisory boards. It could be months or years before we know exactly which businesses would want to move in.

The entirety of the project could change between now and final approval. But the fact remains: Developers want to get their slice of the pie in the area.

"I'm excited about the project, furthering my roots in the community," Church said.

"The impact of the development will be a natural extension of the existing commercial
corridor while enhancing retail-dining-service options for the community," the developer's proposal read. "With the success of the development at The Rock, I feel that my proposal is a natural extension of the development momentum."