From Promises to Revisions: The Changing Face of Poth's General

By Franklin Community News

The Poth's General Development is one of Franklin’s most closely watched redevelopment projects, located at the southeast corner of South 76th Street and Rawson Avenue, the site of the aging Orchard View Shopping Center.

Originally pitched in 2023 as a neighborhood-friendly mixed-use project, the plan promised apartments, retail, a hotel, and public gathering spaces — all designed to generate less traffic than a big-box shopping center.

Two years later, the reality looks very different. At a July 1, 2025 Common Council meeting, the developer unveiled a downsized version of the project — fewer apartments, lower building heights, no hotel, and the elimination of once-promised public amenities.

The evolution of Poth's General tells a familiar Franklin story: community-friendly promises at the start, followed by denser plans on paper, and finally revisions under pressure.

Residents embraced the vision cautiously, believing buffers and amenities would keep the project neighborhood-friendly.

The 2023 Promises

In June 2023, the developer told neighbors:

Up to 440 apartments.
20,000 square feet of retail and a 50-room hotel.
Public draws like a food truck plaza and band shell.
Traffic would be manageable — “less than a 150,000 sq. ft. shopping center,” according to their own talking points.

The 2025 Revisions

Two years later, after vocal opposition and council scrutiny, the project came back downsized:

312 apartments (down from 426).
Hotel, food truck court, and band shell eliminated.
12 townhomes added along the north edge.
Perimeter buildings lowered to 2 stories; interior buildings 3–4 stories.
New commercial frontage on 76th Street, with mixed-use interior buildings.
A new traffic signal proposed at the Ace/Pick n’ Save driveway — meaning signals every 105 yards along 76th Street southbound.
Orchard View Shopping Center demolition scheduled for December 2025.
Developer requesting financial support from the city behind closed doors.

Traffic & Infrastructure: The Core Battleground

From the very beginning, traffic has been at the center of community concerns. In June 2023, the developer framed the proposal as traffic-friendly, pointing out that 2,440 daily trips would be far less than the 10,130 trips a shopping center might generate.

But residents quickly realized that the issue wasn’t just the number of trips — it was where, when, and how those cars would move through Franklin’s busiest intersection.

What is a TIA?

A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) is a formal engineering study that evaluates how a proposed development will affect the surrounding roadway network. It looks at traffic volumes, trip generation, peak hours, intersection operations, and long-term roadway capacity.

Cities like Franklin require a TIA before approving large projects to determine:

How many trips the development will generate.

Which directions that traffic will flow.

How it will impact nearby intersections and roads.

Whether improvements (signals, turn lanes, timing adjustments) are needed to maintain safe and efficient traffic flow.

What the TIA (Traffic Impact Analysis) Showed (Aug 16, 2023)

The Traffic Impact Analysis for Poths General, prepared by the developer’s engineers, projected:
- 2,440 daily trips generated by 426 apartments, retail, a hotel, and food court.
- Compared to a 150,000 sq. ft. shopping center, which could generate 10,130 daily trips — the developer highlighted this difference in their 2023 “talking points.”
- Traffic distribution:
  - 45% north on 76th Street
  - 25% west on Rawson Avenue
  - 15% east on Rawson Avenue
  - 15% south on 76th Street
- Peak hour impacts: Morning and evening rush projected to significantly slow traffic at 76th & Rawson.
- Level of Service (LOS): By 2039, some approaches to that intersection would fall to LOS E/F (unacceptable congestion) without improvements.
Recommended Mitigations in the TIA:
- Signal timing adjustments at 76th & Rawson.
- Turn lane / storage lane extensions to reduce spillback.
- A new traffic signal at the Pick ’n Save / Ace Hardware entrance.

📊 Traffic Distribution Schematic

Here’s a visual schematic of the Poth's General traffic distribution from the TIA, with arrows showing where trips go (north, south, east, west) and labels marking the clustered traffic signals along 76th Street.

This illustrates the community’s main concern: even with fewer total trips than a shopping center, signal congestion creates gridlock in the corridor.

The July 2025 Update: Signals Every 105 Yards

The revised plan still calls for a new traffic signal — but this adds to an already congested corridor. If built, there will be four signals within about 1,000 feet on 76th Street southbound: Ballpark Commons, Loomis Road, Rawson Avenue, and Ace/Pick n’ Save. That means drivers will hit a red light about every 105 yards.

📊 Clustered Traffic Signals Diagram

Here’s the second diagram, showing the four clustered traffic signals on 76th Street:

Ballpark Commons
Loomis Road
Rawson Avenue
Ace / Pick n’ Save

With only about 105 yards between each signal, this stretch is almost guaranteed to create gridlock and long queues — one of the community’s strongest objections.

Residents say this is a recipe for:

Increased congestion as queues overlap between signals.
Cut-through traffic on neighborhood side streets.
Pedestrian safety issues with unpredictable gaps for crossings.

As one resident put it:

“It doesn’t matter if it’s 2,400 cars or 10,000 cars — if every one of them has to fight through four red lights in 1,000 feet, it’s a nightmare.”

Category	2023 Promises	2023 Proposed Plans	2025 Revisions
Units	Up to 440	426	312
Hotel	50-room	Planned	Eliminated
Food Truck / Band Shell	Promised	Included	Eliminated
Townhomes	None	None	12 added
Heights	Not specified	3+1 stories, ~146 ft	2 stories perimeter, 3–4 interior
Commercial	20,000 sq. ft retail	Pavilion, plaza, pads	76th St frontage + interior mixed-use
Parking	Not emphasized	1,079 spaces	TBD (likely reduced)
Traffic	“Lower than shopping center”	2,440 trips/day; LOS drop to E/F	New signal at Ace; 4 signals in 1,000 ft
Natural Resources	Buffers preserved	1.18 ac woodland loss, no mitigation	Loss remains
Lighting	Neighborhood-friendly	Hotspots up to 5.1 fc	TBD

Why This Matters

Traffic may be the make-or-break issue for Poth's General. Even in its downsized form, the project still pours thousands of daily trips into Franklin’s most overburdened corridor. The new signal doesn’t solve congestion — it just rearranges it.

For the Council, the question is no longer whether the project creates “less traffic than a shopping center.” The real issue is whether Franklin’s road network — already stretched thin — can absorb yet another dense development without serious quality-of-life trade-offs for existing residents.

Resident Concerns & Community Impact

Many neighbors say the greatest frustration has been the lack of meaningful public input. While presentations were made, residents report feeling that they were told what was going to be built, rather than invited into a genuine planning process.

Against that backdrop, a range of specific concerns has emerged:

No Appetite for a “Public Square” – From the start, neighbors opposed duplicating Oak Creek’s Drexel Town Square model. A food truck court or band shell might appeal elsewhere, but residents point out these features already exist across the street at Ballpark Commons/The Rock.
Strong Opposition to Apartments – Surrounding neighbors have made it clear: they do not want more apartment complexes in this location. Yet the plan grew from 8 buildings in early concepts to 14 buildings in the latest revisions, with the majority being multifamily units.
Loss of Tree Cover – Clearing woodland along the south and east edges would leave existing neighborhoods exposed, reducing buffers and privacy.
Traffic Projections Understated – Residents believe actual traffic impacts will exceed the developer’s projections, especially when combined with nearby Ballpark Commons traffic and signal clustering on 76th Street.
Commercial Space Shrinking – The current Orchard View site holds about 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial space. The Poth's plan replaces it with perhaps 18,000 sq. ft. of retail/commercial frontage. Residents argue this permanently shifts the tax burden onto homeowners, since less commercial tax base means more reliance on residential property taxes.
Local Business Viability – With redevelopment pressure, even existing businesses like Harry’s may not survive the transition, raising questions about whether this plan truly supports the community’s economy.
Lack of City Vision – Perhaps the most frustrating issue is that City Hall has provided little direction to the developer. Residents note that during a 2022 concept review, one resident (not city leadership) was the only one to articulate a vision. Critics say this absence of planning has left the developer free to maximize density without clear community guidelines.
The TID Problem, Pay-Go vs. Upfront – Supporters of a new TID say this would be a “pay-go” model — reimbursing the developer only as new tax increment is collected — unlike Ballpark Commons, where the city invested upfront in infrastructure. But residents argue this still diverts money away from schools and services at the very time when hundreds of new residents would be adding demand. As one opponent put it: “Every new kid in school goes for free, while the taxes that should fund their education are locked away in the TID.”

The Financing Fight: Should Taxpayers Fund Poth's General?

Beyond traffic and design, one of the most heated debates around Poths General is how it will be paid for.

During the July 1, 2025 Common Council meeting, the developer signaled that the project would require financial support from the City of Franklin — widely understood to mean Tax Incremental District (TID) financing. Under a TID, future property tax growth from the development is diverted to cover project costs rather than flowing immediately to schools, Milwaukee County, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), or Franklin’s general budget.

📊 How TID Financing Works in Franklin

Basic TID (Tax Incremental District) flow graphic for Franklin:

Baseline property taxes continue flowing to the City of Franklin, Franklin Public Schools, Milwaukee County, MMSD, and MATC.
But the new “increment” from development gets captured in a TID fund.
That money is then diverted to cover developer/project costs instead of immediately supporting schools and services.

Residents Push Back

Residents are firmly opposed. Many argue that the project should stand on its own merits — without taxpayer subsidy — especially given how much the plan has already shifted away from its original community-focused promises.

“If this project really works, it shouldn’t need public handouts. And if it doesn’t work, why should Franklin taxpayers be on the hook?” one neighbor said.

Lessons from Ballpark Commons (The Rock)

Opposition to public financing for Poth's General is sharpened by Franklin’s experience with Ballpark Commons/The Rock, which received one of the city’s largest-ever TID commitments.

While that project delivered baseball, restaurants, and recreation, it also tied Franklin taxpayers to a long payback horizon. The city continues to work with Ballpark Commons to cover its outstanding yearly obligations and Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs). For critics, this is a cautionary tale: even high-profile projects can leave Franklin on the hook for years of negotiated support.

📊 Franklin Context: TID Financing Then and Now

Franklin Context Graphic TID Financing at Ballpark Commons vs. Poth's General:

On the left, Ballpark Commons / The Rock: shows that TID dollars were diverted, and the City of Franklin is still paying yearly obligations and PILOTs.
On the right, Poths General: the developer is asking for similar TID financing, despite downsizing and cutting public amenities.

Poth's vs. Ballpark Commons

Scale of Subsidy: Ballpark Commons required heavy public backing; Poth's appears to be asking for similar help despite offering fewer community-wide amenities.
Community Benefit: The Rock drew regional visitors; Poth's General is largely apartments and private commercial space.
Risk Profile: The Rock’s revenues fluctuate with events; Poth's depends on stable residential occupancy, but Franklin already faces questions about apartment saturation.
Trust Factor: With Poth's General already downsized and amenities eliminated, residents argue Franklin can’t afford another TID that leaves taxpayers exposed.

What’s at Stake

Risk to Taxpayers: If Poth's underperforms, TID revenues may not cover obligations, leaving the city responsible.
Equity Concerns: Small businesses and homeowners don’t get public financing; residents ask why a large private developer should.
Precedent: Approving another TID sets an expectation that all major redevelopments will seek subsidies.

For many, the financing debate has become a referendum on trust. After two years of shifting plans and downsizing, residents question whether Franklin should commit scarce resources to a project that no longer resembles what was originally promised.

Trust Factor

With Poth's General already downsized and public amenities eliminated, residents argue Franklin can’t afford another TID that leaves taxpayers exposed. The trust gap widened further in August 2025, when Alderman Salous organized a neighborhood meeting for residents to ask questions directly. The developer did not attend, leaving neighbors frustrated and reinforcing concerns that community voices are being sidelined in the process.

Community Response

Residents say the downsizing proves their concerns were valid. “We were told this would be a balanced, neighborhood-style project,” one neighbor said. “Instead, it grew into a parking-lot campus. Now it’s shrinking again, but at the expense of the public amenities we were promised.”

Others worry about traffic. “With four signals crammed within a quarter-mile stretch, 76th Street will grind to a halt,” another resident warned.

What Concerned Residents of Franklin Can Do

For Franklin neighbors uneasy about the Poth's General project, there are still ways to make your voice heard:

Attend Common Council Meetings – Final decisions on the project and any TID financing will be made at the Council level. Public comment opportunities are available at these meetings.
Submit Written Comments – Residents can submit letters or emails to the City Clerk or their alderman ahead of meetings. These become part of the public record.
Hold Officials Accountable – The much-anticipated neighborhood meeting in August 2025, organized by Alderman Salous, took place without the developer present. Many residents felt this was a missed opportunity for transparency. Going forward, they can press city officials to require the developer’s direct participation before any public funding is approved.
Track City Agendas – Franklin posts meeting packets and agendas online. Watching for “TID” or “financing support” on upcoming agendas is the best way to know when a vote is approaching.
Organize Collectively – Petitions, neighborhood associations, and coordinated testimony often carry more weight than individual voices.
Demand Transparency – Residents can call on officials to release details of any TID financing proposals before a vote. Knowing the dollar amounts and obligations up front is essential for accountability.

As Franklin has already learned with Ballpark Commons, development decisions can shape the city’s finances and quality of life for decades. With the Poth's General project still unsettled — and with the developer absent from neighborhood dialogue — residents will need to stay engaged, informed, and vocal if they want their concerns to influence the outcome.

Conclusion

The Poth's General project has moved from ambitious promises → to dense proposals → to downsized revisions. What Franklin ends up with remains uncertain, but the lesson for residents is clear: scrutinize early, demand accountability, and track every revision.

Franklin's REAL News Source. Exercising our freedom of speech without fear of retribution or retaliation by Franklin's elected officials.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF FRANKLIN

Search This Blog