Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Farragut should immediately halt the rushed redo of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP). Former Farragut Mayor Ron Williams pushed this overhaul through at the end of his term, even though the CLUP was updated just two years ago and has been revised repeatedly since 2012. There is no justification for spending taxpayer money on a redo right now.
Traffic in Farragut is already far beyond what most residents realize, as shown in the state’s own traffic counts. Traffic at Kingston Pike and Campbell Station Road has 12,680 vehicles more a day than traffic at Kingston Pike and Cedar Bluff Road.
The new elementary school on Boring Road has not even opened yet — its traffic impact will be enormous. That traffic impact will be lost if the CLUP is redone now. Any responsible CLUP redo must include those numbers. It cannot be done honestly on the current timeline.
The town hired TSW Consultants from Atlanta, a “new urbanist” firm whose approach does not fit Farragut’s rural character. Their contract to redo the CLUP can still be canceled at minimal cost, since only one meeting has occurred. This process should be rebid next year or the following year with a local firm that understands Farragut.
Meanwhile, the town is in the middle of a massive retail build‑out — roughly 29 new buildings across multiple sites, from the new Publix development to Kingston Pike Village, Horizon Plaza, and the West End Center. We do not yet know how long these spaces will take to lease or how they will affect traffic, growth and infrastructure. Charging ahead with a CLUP redo while all this is still unfolding is unneeded and reckless.
Since 2012, Farragut’s population has jumped from about 21,100 to 26,000. Traffic has exploded. Only two major undeveloped parcels remain. An out-of-state new urbanist consultant will inevitably recommend more density, which is not what this town needs.
It is simply not responsible to redo the CLUP now. Cancel the project. Wait at least a year. Rebidding with a Knoxville firm is the only sensible path. Farragut residents deserve to know why the town is hiring consultants at all when the original CLUP was created in‑house. Our own town staff knows more about the challenges than anyone does.
~Mike Mitchell, Farragut, TN
