What can be done about the old Favorite Market?

Is it time for the Town of Farragut to review existing ordinances that make it difficult to sell or improve blighted property like the Favorite Market on Kingston Pike? This property was not originally part of the Town of Farragut. When this area was annexed into the Town the Favorite Market was grand fathered with respect to ordinances for setbacks and landscaping. Today the property cannot meet existing ordinances. So what should be done?

How do you feel the Town of Farragut looks today?



From a call to the Farragut Press Talk 9-22-05:

I am calling to express disappointment about how the Farragut Mayor and Board of Aldermen refuse to do anything about the eyesore between the U-Haul and David's Carpets on Kingston Pike at the entrance of Stonecrest subdivision. The service station, which has been unoccupied for about 15 years, has weeds overgrown all around it. The Farragut codes department says that they cannot do anything about the overgrown brush because the ordinance for residents, which calls for enforcement if grass is over one foot [high] or weeds are over one foot, does not apply to business property. The idle property, I am told, belongs to a carpet company in Dalton, Ga. A letter from me to the company was ignored. I just wonder why the Farragut administration can't pass an ordinance that applies the same rule of codes to unoccupied businesses that it applies to occupied residences? This is not the first time they have sided with big business instead of what's in the best interest of the residents of Farragut. But that buildings been there so long. This town is known for that building more than it's known for its museum or anything else. Everywhere I go, people say, oh, you live down there.

MPC Weigel's meeting

Last Thursday the Farragut MPC workshopped the proposed Weigels expansion of the Kingston Pike and Smith Road store. Many residents from Sugarwood were present and many of them took the opportunity to speak to the MPC.

The surprise of the evening however involved a request I made to the MPC in this workshop. Actually it is a request I have made for over a year and a half in many MPC and BOMA meetings. The request is to have a traffic light at Kingston Pike and Virtue Road. Chairman Bob Hill ask Town engineer Darryl Smith if he felt the traffic light would be important in regards to the Weigel's store. Mr. Smith said he felt the time had come that the TDOT warrants could be met for this light.

Mayor Eddy Ford instructed Mr. Smith to file the application with TDOT for the traffic light. On behalf of CCRGD and all the people that use Virtue Road I would like to thank the Mayor, the MPC, and Darryl Smith for beginning the process to bring this needed traffic light to our Town.

The plan Weigel's has brought forth makes sense except for two issues. First is the requested variance for the Smith Road entrance. I recommend the MPC reject this variance. It is too close to Kingston Pike and does not allow enough cars to turn right out of Weigel's on to Smith Road. While I understand Attorney Robert Leonard's argument that this will be harder for the fuel trucks to negotiate the more important need is the safety of the customers of Weigel's.

The other issue is the right out only on Kingston Pike. That should be removed. There is another right out only just down Kingston Pike opposite the Sugarwood entrance and it is better to have only one right out only turn lane.

The Farragut MPC will vote on this issue on September 15th. Speak then or forever hold your peace.

Leslie Tucker covers the Development Review Board for the Farragut Press

Another good article from Leslie as one of the most important questions of the committee is looked at. Darryl Smith recommended that the Farragut MPC go from two meetings per month to one meeting per month. The committee decided not to follow that recommendation but rather decided to add to the number of staff meetings.

From Leslie's article in the Farragut Press, "Town engineer Darryl Smith addressed the DRPEC asking the town to consider reducing the number of FMPC meetings from two to one a month. “[Developers and staff] could work a lot of things out before they even get to the Planning Commission,” Smith said.

The group chose not to make that recommendation but did suggest adding to the number of meetings requested in the review process. “Having that required meeting, [the developers we spoke to] felt this would be an opportunity to speed up the process in the long run. . . . What we may lose in time in the first meeting, we’re gonna gain tenfold back in the process,” Honken said.

The Commission also recommended that an additional meeting be held following the staff’s initial review prior to the project being brought to the FMPC. The Commission felt that this meeting would help to answer developers’ questions and resolve issues informally."

Hopefully the Mayor and Board of Aldermen will reconsider. Darryl Smith's idea was one of the best things to come out of this committee. Adding more staff meetings while keeping the two MPC meetings per month does not make much sense unless more staff is hired and more office space is added.

Farragut Independent looks at the hurried pace of life in Farragut

Over at the Farragut Independent an interesting post and comments on why people in Farragut rush from place to place.

http://farragutindependent.blogspot.com/2005/08/are-you-really-that-pressed-for-time.html

Farragut Republican comments on Development Review Process Evaluation Committee

One of Farragut's first bloggers comments on the Development Review Process Evaluation Committee and asks some good questions.

http://farragut-change.blogspot.com/2005/08/another-look-at-development-review.html

http://farragut-change.blogspot.com/2005/08/politics-infect-development-review.html

http://farragut-change.blogspot.com/2005/08/kick-cat-story.html

Sugarwood residents question Weigel’s safety

Alan Sloan wrote this article in the Farragut Press Thursday September 1st.

Sugarwood residents question Weigel’s safetyTown’s Smith endorses Weigel’s latest plan

Alan Sloan - Thu, Sep, 1, 2005

Saying they received “tremendous input” from the town of Farragut, and with town engineer Darryl Smith rubber-stamping its revised traffic plan in person, Weigel’s President Ken McMullen announced to Sugarwood subdivision residents the convenience store’s intention of moving ahead with plans for a new store at the corner of Smith Road and Kingston Pike. Questions mainly focusing on safety and convenience came from many of about 40 Sugarwood residents during an approximately 90 minute meeting Monday, Aug. 29, at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church. McMullen said Weigel’s is ready to bring its blueprints before the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission tonight, Thursday, Sept. 1.

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Fine-tuning begins

This article was in the Wednesday August 31st Knoxville News Sentinel. It was written by Angela Patterson.


Fine-tuning begins

Committee weighs final recommendations on town's development process

By ANGELA PATTERSON, pattersona@knews.com August 31, 2005

The Development Review Process Evaluation Committee hashed out details on final recommendations to give to the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen at their final meeting Aug. 22. The committee spent the meeting fine-tuning the draft created by chair Mike Haynes and vice-chair Harold Cannon.

The draft listed the positive features of the town's development process, including town staff's knowledge of and competence in the ordinances and codes, the citizen input at the planning commission meetings, and the fact that the building codes and inspection staffs are universally well-received and praised by the development community.

When discussing the areas of concern, however, there was some debate over whether certain language should be left in the document. One section regarding customer service issues made reference to a certain staff member, albeit by position only. Committee member Joel Garber wanted to take out the reference, citing that it pointed to an individual when the comment should reflect an overall management problem. Ron Honken said he was opposed to eliminating the reference because he thought it was true that a majority of the customer service issues related to this one individual.

"To remove this language would water down the report and misdirect the message we're trying to share," Honken said.

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Farragut's image won't change without real desire

This article was in the Wednesday August 31st Knoxville News Sentinel. It was written by Angela Patterson.

Farragut's image won't change without real desire

August 31, 2005

After sitting through all the meetings of the Farragut Development Review Process Evaluation Committee, I do think that the examination was needed. At the rate the town is growing, and most likely will continue to grow, the department needs to restructure and refocus.

Yet, I think the recommendations put too much detail in some areas and not enough in others.
For example, when discussing areas of concern, the document refers to comments received that focused on "the activities by the town's upper administrative positions, particularly that of the community development director, associated with the site development reviews and approvals."

According to survey and interview responses, that assertion may be true. Nonetheless, committee members have said that the goal here was to focus on the process, not the people who administer it. Yet, in the language of the final recommendations, there is a blatant reference to a staff member and how he or she does the job. Sugarcoating is never a wise choice, but a reference to management instead of an individual would've effectively conveyed the message.

On the other hand, the committee reported that staff needs to require an initial meeting with the developer, respond to submissions in a timely manner and have a project meeting to iron out any differences between staff and developers. Also, all major developments should be assigned a project manager, so developers have a specific point of contact. If the staff is already so strained, how are they supposed to schedule more meetings? Since their workload is as heavy as it is, how is one staff member supposed to serve as the main contact for a project, especially when it is likely they won't be able to provide timely answers for all the developer's questions?

Going to one planning commission meeting a month was suggested to ease the time crunch, but some committee members were reluctant. If that could be an answer to improving work conditions for staff and developers, and subsequently beginning to mend the town's image, why not at least consider it? These suggestions are good in theory, but it will be difficult to put them into practice, especially if the town is not willing to make some drastic changes.

More important than the details is if the committee's recommendations will be implemented in the manner they intended. Will the Board of Mayor and Aldermen pick and choose what they fix, hoping that small changes will make enough difference? Or will they incorporate not only the committee recommendations, but also the input of the staff and others to truly improve the system?

In order to repair the process and the image of the town, the powers that be are going to have to welcome change, and that means considering some options they may not be comfortable with. But the town is growing and moving forward, and its processes need to reflect that.

Angela Patterson writes about Farragut and Concord. She may be reached at 865-342-6369.