Strike out: Franklin says "no" to minor league baseball

FRANKLIN (WITI) -- FOX6 News has learned the Franklin Common Council has denied (in a 6-0 vote) a proposal for a minor league baseball stadium in the city.

The Council denied the proposal "due to multiple unknowns" -- including:

The move by the Common Council comes after a Franklin task force last week approved a $10.5 million financing deal for the stadium -- hoping the project would serve as a catalyst for $100 million in development that would create a "new downtown" for Franklin.

The proposal for the minor league baseball stadium was brought forth by Mark Zimmerman -- the owner of "The Rock," who hoped to bring the stadium to Franklin and with it, a Frontier League baseball team.

Zimmerman's proposal called for the stadium to be built on "The Rock" property near South 76th Street and West Rawson Avenue.

The city of Franklin initially rejected Zimmerman's plan -- saying they wanted him to commit to additional development around the stadium.