letter to the editor
Answering Aug. 9 Letter to clarify ‘southwest Farragut’ purchase
Regarding the Aug. 9 Letter to the Editor, whatever deal the Scotts negotiated when they purchased land in southwest Farragut, they are not obligated to pass it along to the next buyer.
When Knox County Schools was considering purchasing a portion of this land to construct a new elementary school, an independent property appraisal appraised the property at $100,000/acre.
Given that the Town is purchasing 55 acres at $100,000/acre and the Scotts are donating another 15 acres to the Town for a total of 70 acres, the purchase price averaged over the purchased and donated land comes to $70,000/acre, well below the appraised value. The assumption that this community intends to clear-cut 42 acres of heavily wooded property when it begins to develop this park is highly presumptuous and not based on any community survey because there has been no community survey.
As more people become familiar with McFee Park’s incredible hiking/biking trail in the woods, I am convinced they will be very excited to extend this true community gem into the wooded portion of this new property. There are 28 acres of open land where fields can be placed without having to take down one tree.
The property purchase agreement only requires an access easement through the purchased and donated property to access McFee Road. Construction of a road is not required. The property owner will protect his access to McFee Road regardless of who purchases this property.
The outlandish suggestion that apartments are planned for southwest Farragut or in this area in Loudon County is a fear-mongering tactic. The implication preys on the fears of residents who may not have a full understanding of the Town’s long-standing land use plans and goals or Loudon County’s Land Use Plan and zoning ordinances. The only development that has ever been envisioned for southwest Farragut is very low density residential and preferably estate-size lots, which when proposed have been fully embraced by the (Farragut Municipal) Planning Commission and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
Saddlebrook’s concept plan for Meadows on McFee, approved in November 2020, shows a future access to the heavily wooded property via Wild Basil Street; that road has since been constructed. Saddlebrook understands the Town’s development requirements and is prepared to extend their subdivision into this heavily wooded portion even with costs associated with our Tree Protection ordinance. A 55-acre parcel can yield up to 119 homes which would generate over 1,100 average daily trips.
The Town has always valued and celebrated its history. We preserved the Campbell Station Inn and the land around it (Ralph McGill Plaza). Recently, the Tacos and Tequila Festival, which had over 1,000 attendees, was hosted at the Ralph McGill Plaza, demonstrating that we already have an area to host large celebrations in the heart of our Town.
Purchasing more land in the heart of our Town could prove to be very expensive. The residential portion of the Biddle property sold for just shy of $244,000/acre. It is my understanding that the Ford property is selling for just shy of $205,000/acre. Purchasing this property does not prevent us from funding and implementing traffic solutions for McFee Road or in the rest of our Town.
Finally, the proposed purchase of the McFee Road property has been the subject of a farragutpress article in April, the subject of several social media posts, and the Letter of Intent was discussed during the Board of Mayor and Aldermen June 22, 2023 meeting. There has been plenty of public notice.
Vice Mayor Louise Povlin, Town of Farragut
