One doesn’t have to be around Larry Franklin very long to know that he is sold on Moultrie and Colquitt County. When the north Florida developer moved to Moultrie in 2006, he poured his heart and soul into his real estate enterprises here and that energy manifested itself in seven years of improvements that have benefited Franklin and the Moultrie Community as a whole.
In 2006 he bought the former Center Towne Apartments (now Arts Center Apartments) with the idea of renovating and reselling the property but once he got here he saw other investments opportunities around the city. Franklin went on to acquire several properties such as the Villas on Fifth, a business office on Sunset Circle, a new business office built in 2007 on Fifth Avenue along with 2 new duplexes, and Holly Cove Apartments which has been recognized 2 years as Best of the Best Apartments in Moultrie. His most recent challenge was the purchase of the Preserve at Hospital Park Apartments, formerly Oak Village Apartments located directly beside CRMC here in Moultrie. After years of neglect, Franklin was able to bring this complex back to life and offer good, hard working people a nice affordable housing option.
Franklin also bought the former Wilvereen Plant, a 26,000 square foot structure on West bypass, sold and renovated it. The project put $1.5 million in renovation funds into the Moultrie economy over a 6 month period and created 15 new jobs in the process.
While his holdings are numerous, his biggest endeavor and the apple of his eye is The Preserve at Cobblestone, Moultrie’s only gated community on the outskirts of town where cotton still grows and the deer still roam. .
One doesn’t have to be around Larry Franklin very long to know that he is sold on Moultrie and Colquitt County.
At a time when real estate was on a downward spiral in many parts of the country, Franklin launched the Preserve project and within 49 months has built and sold 23 homes in this community. After only 19 of the lots had sold, he added a clubhouse, fitness center and a pool which was initially only to be done after 40 sold lots.
In addition to investing his money in the community, Franklin also offers his time and insight to civic organizations. He has served on United Way, the Chamber of Commerce and Crossroad Missions Boards. Currently he serves as a founding member and on the executive board of the Boys and Girls Club of Colquitt County, the Moultrie-Colquitt Count Development Authority and the Historical Preservation Commission City of Moultrie. He is active in the Chairman’s Round Table at the Moultrie YMCA. He and his wife Fran are members of Pine Grove Baptist Church. He has previously sponsored teams for Colquitt County Relay for Life and was a sponsor for Building Better Lives Campaign, YMCA. He also received the Moultrie Observers Corporate Citizen of the Year in 2011.
Franklin believes that Moultrie should be made an affordable alternative to Lowndes, Tift and Thomas Counties so he continues daily looking for ways to help improve Moultrie and Colquitt County and to help this community grow.
