The Franklin Citizen’s Livability Survey, completed in the late fall of 2022, is the fourth such survey that has been employed by the city to measure government effectiveness. Results from the most recent version have highlighted three areas where the city will need to place some focus in the coming years – Affordable Housing, Managing Community Growth and Diversity.
Comparing results over the four years of surveys, there were four areas that an increasing number of residents rated Franklin poorly: Cost of Living, Affordable Housing, Transportation/Traffic and Diversity. Affordable Housing and Diversity saw the biggest increase in dissatisfaction with it increasing by 16% and 15%, respectively. Cost of Living had a 9% increase in dissatisfaction, while the rate of dissatisfaction with Transportation/Traffic saw a decrease of 1%. The feeling was that this is due to the recent completion of a number of road projects.
Results from the survey were also rated against the entire database of 600 cities around the country who participated in the National Community SurveyTM. In this comparison, the same issues arose. On availability of affordable housing, Franklin fell into the 14th percentile and ranked 282nd nationally, and in a variety of housing options, the city ranked 202nd nationally. When it comes to cost of living, the city ranked in the 25th percentile. Concerns with traffic were also rated low.
In an open-ended question where residents were asked, “Aside from transportation (traffic) related issues, what is the most important challenge or problem facing Franklin today?” The top five answers were: managing growth and development, affordable housing, infrastructure/roads, cost of living and diversity/inclusiveness. That was followed by schools and the environment.
“64% said housing, growth and transportation counted as their main concerns,” said Michael Walters Young, Budget and Analytic Manager, Franklin Department of Finance to the audience at FrankTalks. “It is consistent with previous years, but the numbers have increased.”
“On this one,” said Eric Stuckey, City Administrator, “what jumped out at me is that I really blended the affordable housing at 22% and the cost of living and affordability, which is a little broader, but I think they are brother and sister. If you blend those two together you are at 33%, and that is a significant increase in that area identified by our respondents compared to what we have seen previously. That really jumps out at me.”
Looking at the top 50 words from the open-ended responses, the top four were “housing,” “growth,” “franklin” and “affordable,” followed by “infrastructure” and “city.”
Stuckey explained that information from this survey will be used in many different ways by both the Board of Mayor and Alderman and his staff moving forward, including focusing on critical areas as they go through the current review of Envision Franklin.
Envision Franklin is a living document that articulates the long-term vision that helps government leaders to “direct future development in a way that strengthens the City and creates exceptional places for people. It is a planning document adopted and maintained by the Franklin Municipal Planning Commission (FMPC)… The Plan provides guidance regarding land use decisions, managing the quality of development, determining the timing and location of future growth, and directing investment and development activity.”
The city recently hosted an online survey asking for input from residents concerning land use.
“Taking this survey is another way to have your voice heard,” said Stuckey. “And there [was] a special session on Thursday, April 13…a Zoom meeting for the community about housing needs and how it relates to the land use plan…It is an important element that is part of the land use plan.”
These results are just a small part of the overall survey. It looked at the ten facets that make up livability, including the economy, mobility, community design, utilities, safety, the natural environment, parks and recreation, health and wellness, education/arts/culture, and inclusivity and engagement.
Overall, 97% of survey respondents rated the quality of life in Franklin as Good or Excellent, a number that has remained consistent over the 10 years of studies.
“Getting feedback from your customers…and your community is the ‘Breakfast of Champions,’” said Stuckey. “It makes you stronger. It helps you understand your community.”
