Articles Land use and development
Redevelopment and PILOTs in Franklin, Explained: Franklin Boulevard, The Haven and Churchill-Millstone
How Franklin uses redevelopment areas and payments in lieu of taxes: the Franklin Boulevard condemnation area for senior affordable housing, the 4% PILOT for The Haven at 260 Davidson Avenue, the proposed 30-year PILOT for the last Churchill-Millstone phases, and the PILOTs already on the books.
The short version
- Franklin Boulevard. 600–610 Franklin Boulevard and 515 and 525 Lewis Street were designated a condemnation area in need of redevelopment on October 28, 2025. The redevelopment plan, adopted February 10, 2026, is for 120 affordable senior apartments at 606–610 Franklin Boulevard.
- The Haven. On October 13, 2026 the Council adopted, 9–0, a PILOT for the 142-unit affordable conversion at 260 Davidson Avenue: 4% of annual gross revenue for as long as the units stay affordable.
- Churchill-Millstone. Ordinance 4522-26, on the October 27, 2026 agenda for first reading, would give the last two market-rate phases on Route 27 a 30-year PILOT. The ordinance’s summary gives the charge as 10% of annual gross revenue; the attached agreement form sets 10%, 11% and 12% by decade. A hearing is set for November 10, 2026.
The terms
A redevelopment area is land the Council designates, after a Planning Board study and hearing, as “in need of redevelopment.” The Council can then adopt a redevelopment plan that replaces the zoning there. A condemnation designation also lets the township acquire property in the area by eminent domain.
A PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) is a financial agreement in which a project is exempt from property tax and the owner pays the township an annual service charge instead. The two PILOTs in this explainer use different state laws: the Fair Housing Act for The Haven, a 100% affordable project, and the Long Term Tax Exemption Law for Churchill-Millstone, in a redevelopment area.
Franklin works with a Redevelopment Agency. Councilmembers Kimberly Francois and Carl Wright are the Council’s representatives on it, and Mr. Wright has chaired it.
Franklin Boulevard
| Date | Step | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| December 10, 2024 | Res. 24-421 directs the Planning Board to study 600–610 Franklin Boulevard and 515 and 525 Lewis Street as a condemnation area in need of redevelopment, citing the Fair Housing Act. The Council also met in executive session that night on “Potential Litigation – Redevelopment matters” | 8–1. Ayes: Anbarasan, Francois, Kharazi, Kramer, Onyejiaka, Potosnak, Uddin, Vassanella. Nay: Wright |
| June 4, 2025 | Planning Board public hearing on the CME Associates study; the Board recommends designation | |
| October 28, 2025 | Res. 25-464 designates Block 233 Lots 1.01 and 2.01 and Block 234 Lots 1, 14.01 and 16 a condemnation area in need of redevelopment, and sends it to the state Department of Community Affairs for its 30-day review | 8–0, Wright abstaining |
| February 10, 2026 | Ordinance 4493-26 adopts the Franklin Boulevard Redevelopment Plan | 8–0 (Francois absent); no public comment |
| September 8, 2026 | The amended Fourth Round spending plan commits about $3,440,000 from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to 606–610 Franklin Boulevard | Consent agenda, 9–0 |
The site is part of Franklin’s Fourth Round housing plan: 120 age-restricted rentals, all affordable. The settlement with Fair Share Housing Center requires a redeveloper to be designated within a year of the plan. No redeveloper, and no use of condemnation, appears in the record read.
Res. 25-464 recites that the Council adopted Res. 24-421 “on June 4, 2025.” The minutes show Res. 24-421 adopted on December 10, 2024; June 4, 2025 was the date of the Planning Board hearing.
The Haven: Ordinance 4520-26
- Project. CWP-ASR Somerset I LLC and CWP-ASR Somerset II LLC are converting the hotel buildings at 260 Davidson Avenue (Block 468.01, Lot 15.01) into 142 units for very low, low and moderate income households.
- Terms. A financial agreement under N.J.S.A. 52:27D-329.2(a)(5) and (a)(6). The land and buildings are exempt from property tax “for so long as the Project remains subject to affordability controls,” and the sponsor pays an annual service charge of 4.00% of Annual Gross Revenue. The ordinance also recites that the township “has agreed to allocate” $3,500,000 from its affordable housing trust fund to the sponsor.
- Votes. Introduced September 22, 2026, 5–0 (ayes Anbarasan, Kharazi, Kramer, Onyejiaka, Vassanella; Francois, Singh, Uddin and Wright absent). Adopted October 13, 2026, 9–0. “No comments were made” at its hearing.
- Questions in public discussion, October 13. Kiki Anatasakos questioned “the 40-year PILOT agreement, the lack of school district funding from PILOT money, and the destination of PILOT funds.” The minutes record the Council’s response that “the 40-year PILOT structure is intended to incentivize development while protecting school budgets.” The ordinance and the development agreement read by LocalWhy tie the term to the affordability controls and do not state 40 years.
The township’s records give different trust-fund and deed-restriction figures for this project; the housing explainer sets them side by side.
Churchill-Millstone: Ordinance 4522-26
The Churchill-Millstone Redevelopment Area, formerly the Renaissance 2000 Redevelopment Area, covers about 47.5 acres on Route 27 between Churchill Avenue and Millstone Road. The developer, Somerset Street Urban Renewal Associates, L.P., builds under a redevelopment agreement of January 24, 2007, amended in 2010, 2012 and 2019.
From the ordinance:
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The first four phases, “443 total units of affordable housing and over 30,000 square feet of commercial space,” were built “without any tax abatements.”
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The PILOT covers the final two phases: Franklin Townhouses, 37 market-rate townhouses (Planning Board approval December 15, 2021), and Franklin Forklift, 87 market-rate units (Planning Board approval August 16, 2023).
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Term and charge: 30 years. The packet gives the charge two ways:
Part of the October 27, 2026 packet Service charge Ordinance summary and recitals (p. 70) 10% of annual gross revenue Financial agreement form, attached (p. 82) 10% in years 1–10, 11% in years 11–20, 12% in years 21–30 -
Taxes now: the vacant sites pay about $280,000 a year combined ($143,000 for the Townhouse lots and $137,000 for the Forklift lots).
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Projection: total service charges of more than $6,290,974 and $10,196,352 over 30 years; the summary puts the total at “more than $16.4 million.” The ordinance says the township “finds that the project’s benefits significantly outweigh its costs.”
The ordinance was listed for introduction on October 27, 2026, with a public hearing on November 10, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. The October 27 minutes are not yet posted, so whether it was introduced, and by what vote, is not known.
Other redevelopment steps
- Ordinance 4474-25 rezoned small residential pockets off Route 27 (Block 165 Lots 1–21; Block 167 Lots 1–17 and 31–38; Block 171.02 Lots 5–11; Block 172 Lots 24–28) from General Business to R-7 single-family. Planning Director Mark Healey’s memo of July 9, 2025 says he believes the General Business zoning there “is a remnant of the pre-Redevelopment Plan zoning of this area,” from before the redevelopment plan zoning of the late 1990s. Introduced August 12, 2025 (9–0); adopted September 30, 2025, 7–0 (Anbarasan and Francois absent).
- April 22, 2025: Councilman Wright reported that the Agency “released an RFP for property to be developed for affordable housing on Route 27 between Burger King and Naaman Williams Park.”
- May 12, 2026: Councilman Wright reported that the Agency reviewed RPM’s revised plans for buildings on Franklin Boulevard and Route 27, and said the township “does not own or build affordable housing.”
PILOTs already on the books
The state Department of Community Affairs’ 2026 PILOT database lists seven Franklin projects, from the township’s 2025 user-friendly budget:
| Project | Annual billing |
|---|---|
| Berry St Urban Renewal | $60,745 |
| Franklin Blvd Comm Urban Renewal | $45,587 |
| Voorhees Station | $143,985 |
| Parkside Family Housing | $35,823 |
| Parkside Senior Housing | $18,882 |
| Presbyteria/Springpoint Sr. Home at Franklin | $42,684.27 |
| Genesis FBCCDC Somerset Senior: Franklin | $29,998.56 |
| Total | $377,704.83 |
The database gives these projects a PILOT assessed value of $30,752,000 and “Total Taxes if Billed at 2025 Rate” of $515,883.69. The township’s budget shows PILOT payments realized of $382,512.30 in 2025 and anticipates $382,000 in 2026.
What is not known
- Whether Ordinance 4522-26 was introduced on October 27, 2026, and by what vote.
- Who the redeveloper of 606–610 Franklin Boulevard will be, and whether condemnation will be used.
- Whether the Department of Community Affairs acted on the Res. 25-464 designation.
- The figures in the Haven financial agreement’s exhibits (the sponsor’s revenue projection), and how its payments are shared with the county.
- The results of the Redevelopment Agency’s Route 27 RFP.
What residents can do
- Speak at second reading. Every PILOT and redevelopment plan is adopted by ordinance, with a public hearing before the final vote. The Churchill-Millstone hearing is set for November 10, 2026.
- Read the ordinances. The texts of 4493-26, 4520-26 and 4522-26 are linked under Sources.