36 CITY OF FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE government. Once the City hires a preservation planner, the planner should work in partnership with the Heritage Foundation to update the historic resources inventory. The most recent inventory, completed in 1999, identified several concentrations of pre-1950 properties along Columbia Avenue, Franklin Road, and Natchez Street that have not yet been recorded. It is estimated that up to two hundred properties could be eligible for inclusion on the local and National Register. These areas should be the focus of future survey efforts as well as potential National Register nominations. Create a digital inventory With technology, the historic resources inventory can be made more accessible to property owners, City staff, and developers. Currently, this information is available in paper form on USGS maps. As the City implements its ambitious GIS program, information on historic resources can be field checked, digitized and a computer database developed that is compatible with the City’s GIS software. The database could link inventory information (property name, date of construction, architectural style, condition, etc.) with tax assessor data (owner, appraised value, etc.). The data could also be linked to a digital photo archive, all of which could be made accessible to the public via the City’s web site. Identify and nominate historic landscapes For the purposes of the National Register a rural historic landscape is defined “as a geographical area that historically has been used by people, or shaped and modified by human activity, occupancy, or intervention, and that possesses a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of areas of land use, vegetation, buildings and structures, roads and waterways, and natural features”. Historic landscapes have developed and evolved in response to both the forces of nature and the need to make a living. Historic landscapes are listed on the National Register as sites or districts and include farms, battlefields or designed landscapes. Today the rural character of Franklin is threatened by growth and development. Fortunately there are still a number of historic landscapes within Franklin’s urban growth boundary that remain intact. These sites should be carefully inventoried and studied to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register. Periodically evaluate local historic district overlay zone boundaries Once the inventory is updated, the City should reassess the extent of the local historic district overlay zones and identify areas of possible expansion. This reassessment should include a look at properties that have previously been deemed “non-contributing” or otherwise excluded to see if these should now be included in the overlay. The Hiram Masonic Lodge on Second Avenue South (a National Historic Landmark) is one such property that is not part of the overlay zone, but logically should be. Once identified, the City should work with local preservation organizations on education and outreach to residents in the potential expansion areas.
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