Angela Patterson article continued

Bob Markli agreed with Honken, saying that the job of the committee was to point out areas of concern in the process, and if they took the reference out, then it would simply appear they were skirting the issue.

The committee voted 2-6 to keep the language in the document, without ever naming the person. The report cited activities of the Community Development Director, a position held by Ruth Hawk. " 'Customer service' issues have become an increasing area of concern," the report states. "A majority of the comments received have focused on (a) the site development aspects of projects (as opposed to the building review and approvals); and (b) the activities by the town's upper administrative positions, particularly that of the community development director, associated with the site development reviews and approvals."

Hawk took the comments in stride. "I've received numerous compliments from citizens that I deal with," Hawk said. Other concerns were that there's a perception among members of the development community that the town discourages development, that staff requirements are subjective, that conflicts aren't resolved in a timely manner and that there is inadequate time for developers to respond to staff comments.

To address some of these issues, the committee recommended that the town should institute a survey process so that everyone who deals with the process has the opportunity to give feedback about their experience. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen should receive quarterly reports on these survey responses, and the town should provide customer service training to staff. To improve the process itself, the town should require an initial meeting between staff and developers to discuss concepts and the submittal process, that town staff should review plans and return comments in a timely manner, and that a project review meeting should be held to address any conflicts.

The issue of time brought up the suggestion of moving to one planning commission meeting a month, which was expressed in earlier meetings, instead of two. While the committee opted not to make that suggestion in the report, town engineer Darryl Smith said that moving to one meeting is one way to address the timeliness issue. "With two meetings a month, we're working on one meeting agenda while preparing for another, and it's difficult to get things out the door," Smith said. "We'd love to see more time between the time the comments go out and the meeting, but I don't know how staff could do that at this point. One meeting a month could allow for that kind of time frame."

To respond to issues members of the development community voiced about staff, the committee suggested adding a new position in the department. That person would oversee all of development and would report directly to the town administrator. The person would coordinate community development, engineering and codes, working to improve communication and resolve conflicts, and would facilitate all MPC activities and meetings on behalf of the town. In order to improve communication, the report said the town should consolidate all ordinances related to the process into one location, the Web site should be upgraded with user-friendly documents about how to navigate the process, the town should begin educational seminars on the process on at least an annual basis, and that each major development be assigned a project contact person to facilitate communication.

The committee's recommendations were briefly reported to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen at their Aug. 25 meeting and will appearon the agenda at their Sept. 8 meeting.

Angela Patterson may be reached at 865-342-6369.

Farragut Press article continued

“I know we cannot make everybody happy in the crowd … but I believe we have put forth the best plan for the community, the city, as well as the subdivision of Sugarwood and also for Weigel’s,” McMullen said.

The biggest controversy centers around a proposed Weigel’s entrance directly across from Sugarwood’s main entrance, with many residents expressing concerns about the resulting safety and convenience of making a left turn from Kingston Pike into Sugarwood, and making a left turn from Sugarwood west onto Kingston Pike.

The revised traffic plan is based on recommendations from Barbara Hatcher, a transportation engineer for Site, Inc. of Knoxville, representing Weigel’s, along with Smith, Ruth Hawk, town community development director, and other town officials. Weigel’s attorney and former Farragut Mayor Robert Leonard said Smith advised that it would be, “much safer and much better if an entrance were provided directly across from Sugarwood.”

McMullen added that the new Sugarwood entrance would make the store’s traffic “safer … than what it is right now.” In addition, the proposed right-in, right-out entrance/exit at Kingston Pike in front of the store has been moved west, McMullen said. Leonard said the right-in entrance, heading west, would include a “deceleration lane” with “no change in striping” of the current lane configuration in front of the store. Speaking about making compromises with Smith and other town officials, “Naturally we would have preferred something different because it was less expensive,” Leonard said. “We had no choice in that, and we understand what Farragut would say.”

The originally proposed entrance would have been “roughly one-hundred feet from Smith Road … in the center of the Weigel’s property,” Leonard said, adding that a town ordinances required a minimum 400-foot distance, “requiring an expensive easement.” McMullen added that the revised traffic plan required “buying property to move our entrances down [west].”

When a resident asked approximately how many extra vehicles per day are expected with the new store, McMullen said, “I do not know that answer,” adding that Weigel’s doesn’t evaluate “traffic counts.” Local attorney Sam Rutherford said that with the Kingston Pike-Smith Road intersection also having to absorb traffic from “Sugarwood, Walgreen’s, CVS, it cannot handle the extra traffic, no matter what you do” if a new store is built. Smith said the Sugarwood-Weigel’s intersection would relieve pressure on center lane congestion currently going east into the current Weigel’s and Smith Road and west into the Sugarwood entrance, making it “much safer, there’s no question.”

However, Sugarwood resident Douglas Goode commented that congestion would only be shifted west to the Sugarwood/Weigel’s intersection. Goode added that Smith Road “is the main competition with Sugarwood” in terms of center lane congestion, adding, “that doesn’t change at all.” Moreover, Smith agreed that with the new Sugarwood store entrance and subsequent turn lane traffic, subdivision traffic exiting west onto Kingston Pike would face more of a challenge. “That is something to consider,” he said, adding that’s it’s illegal to use any center lane as an acceleration lane. When one resident challenged Smith and Hatcher to come up with “quantitative” numbers to support the Weigel’s plan, Smith said his support is based on “purely observational” evaluations.

One point of general agreement, or a point not challenged during the meeting, was the value of obtaining traffic lights — possibly at the Sugarwood entrance in addition to proposed lights at the Kingston Pike entrance with Virtue, Everett and Old Stage roads. Having some or all of these lights installed “definitely would create more gaps” in traffic, Smith said, adding the town “is pushing T-DOT for these traffic lights.” However, Smith said traffic lights could not currently be approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation because traffic counts weren’t high enough. As for the Sugarwood entrance, “it’s an option, but there’s not going to be enough traffic at this time to warrant a signal,” Smith said. Hatcher added that in order to meet the qualifications for a light, “you have to have at least one-hundred-forty vehicles coming in and out” of a side street per hour for a continuous eight hour stretch.

Citing a recent spurt in residential growth around Virtue Road, Smith said a traffic light there could soon be a possibility. Farragut Vice Mayor and Sugarwood resident Michael Haynes said, “I think we’re close to getting a light at down there at Virtue,” adding that he thinks a light there “is the best solution.” When McMullen was asked if Weigel’s would wait until at least one proposed traffic light was installed near the new store, the company president said, “… We’ve been a year already in building the location … at this point I would say that’s totally not an option.”

One resident warned of possible “funerals at St. Elizabeth’s” if the current traffic plan becomes a reality minus extra traffic lights. If a traffic light is approved by TDOT, Smith said the town is “willing to put it up, we’re willing to maintain it,” adding the cost to Farragut would be $100,000 per light. McMullen said the proposed Weigel’s, to replace the existing Smith Road store, would essentially be a carbon copy of the Weigel’s opened less than a year ago on Campbell Station Road, and will feature 16 fueling stations. The company president said that if and when groundbreaking takes place, it would take “about one-hundred-and-twenty days to build.” Leonard said, “We want to improve that station because Farragut is no longer a country community. That [current] station was built here when Farragut was, in fact, a rural, agricultural community.”

Sugarwood resident Ed Whiting said the Weigel’s proposal “is the best you’re going to get, given all the parameters and the whole situation … .” Leonard said the original meeting between Weigel’s brass and Sugarwood residents was scheduled Aug. 9, but had to be postponed due to a scheduling conflict. The former mayor emphasized that Weigel’s never intended to bypass having another meeting with Sugarwood residents prior to Sept. 1, but “had to file seventeen days before” the Sept. 1 FMPC meeting in order to be on the agenda.