development.The community’s character runs deep, built on traditions that predate Ohio’s statehood. “We were founded in 1796, and the community is supportive. They take care of one another, they look out for one another,” Westendorf notes. “But we are a stone’s throw away from all of the conveniences surrounding us.” The Great Miami River defines Franklin’s landscape and future potential. As part of Ohio’s only National Water Trail and the nation’s largest paved trail network, the river connects Franklin to a 99-mile corridor of communities. Warren County’s tourism infrastructure, branded as “Ohio’s Largest Playground,” attracts over 12 million visitors annually. Franklin’s 10,600 residents enjoy this unique position: small enough to know your neighbors yet connected to major metropolitan amenities and job markets that continue expanding across the region. BREATHING LIFE INTO HISTORIC BUILDINGS Across Ohio, small cities face a common challenge: downtown districts hollowed out by decades of suburban sprawl and highway development. Franklin’s story mirrors this pattern. “When I-75 was constructed in the late sixties, that started to pull traffic away from our downtown,” Westendorf explains. “There’s a long history of the decline as transportation shifted.” The city has invested $13.4 million in its Main Street streetscape project, but Westendorf emphasizes that successful revitalization starts underground.“Infrastructure is the thing that is most often forgotten, and it is the thing that will devastate projects like these.” Franklin partnered with Duke Energy to completely rebuild the downtown electrical grid, upgrading from a 4K to a 14K system. Water mains dating back 80 to 100 years have been replaced, and new 500,000-gallon ground storage tanks now serve both downtown and future industrial development. “Making sure the infrastructure is there and reliable is really important because that helps us set the stage to be an easy place for people to come and do business with,” Westendorf says. “Time is money for them and we are trying to move at the speed of business.” The approach mirrors lessons learned from decades 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
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