Villages of Farragut
Keckley confident about an ‘April or May’ groundbreaking
A preliminary plat to extend Peterson Road, located off Kingston Pike, and a site plan for the first phase of an assisted living facility on 23.06 acres off Kingston Pike and Smith Road, got through another green light.
Farragut Municipal Planning Commission voted unanimously during its meeting Thursday, Jan. 19, to approve the preliminary plat and site plan, which are part of the same project by Goodworks Unlimited. The project involves grading, utility and public infrastructure associated with extending Peterson Road into the property being developed as Villages of Farragut Senior Living Community.
“Hopefully, we will get started in April or May,” Gary L. Keckley, chief executive officer and director of development for Goodworks Unlimited, said about breaking ground for Phase I, which includes roughly 10 acres.
As for a rough construction completion date estimate for Phase I, “The end of [20]18,” Keckley said after the meeting.
During the FMPC meeting Jan. 18, Commissioners offered favorable responses about the project before Commissioner Noah Myers made the motion for approval.
“This particular project, the Villages of Farragut, at least as it is currently proposed, would be in three phases,” Mark Shipley, Farragut Community Development director, said. “We are looking at the Phase I site plan.”
“We’ve studied the residential fabric of Farragut,” Keckley said. “A lot of great homes have been built here and tried to capture the spirit of what we saw.
“We have tried to create an atmosphere of a village,” he added.
Phase I involves a three-story, state-licensed assisted care living facility with 88 suites. The building will be situated on a hill so it will appear to look like a two-story building to neighboring residences, Keckley said.
“We’ve tried to maintain a two-story image,” he said. Because of the bank of a hill, he added he does not think residents will see the building at all.
“Free-standing independent and catered living buildings will be constructed around the periphery of the property and will be part of a subsequent phase,” Shipley said. “They will look like free-standing single-family residences.”
The preliminary plat shows there will be a boulevard from Kingston Pike to the facility and also an asphalt trail, which would connect to Baldwin Park subdivision’s trail, he said. Part of Phase I includes a connection to property to the north.
“And, when that property is developed, [Peterson] Road would be extended ultimately up to Boring Road,” Shipley said.
The first phase the site plan also includes a retention pond on the lower portion near the facility.
“They’ve got kind of a creative way of dealing with the stormwater,” Shipley said. “It involves low-impact development.”
“I’m glad to see they are leaving the cedar trees,” Commissioner Betty Dick said.
“We are very appreciative of the developer for working with the Town to preserve all these trees here,” Shipley said. “That’s a very nice amenity for this project and something that can be used as kind of a passive area for enjoyment. And also, it abuts a walking trail connection.
There also are plans for access onto Smith Road. He recommended FMPC make sure the access point onto Smith Road have clear site distance.
Michael Wilson, who resides in Baldwin Park subdivision near the Villages site, suggested making that connection a right-in and right-out only access.
After the meeting, Wilson said, “We probably had five or six of our residents here. Baldwin Park is extremely excited about what’s going in there now. … I wouldn’t say every single resident, but I would say the vast majority, 75, 80, maybe 90 percent are happy with what’s going in.”
“We had meetings with the neigborhoods before we had meetings with the Planning Commission,” Keckley said after the meeting.
Another future phase would include a memory care wing.
The developer got its first green light in August 2016.
Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen changed the Community Service Zoning District and other aspects of its zoning to provide for a senior living community.
In August 2016, Goodworks Unlimited closed on the property, formerly owned by Doug and Brenda Horne of Horne Properties Inc. Doug Horne also owns Republic Newspapers, Inc., parent company of farragutpress.
Keckley said the property would be transferred in March or April to Farragut Senior Living, LLC, doing business as Villages of Farragut.
In other business, FMPC:
• voted unanimously to recommend approving a preliminary plat for Phase I of Easton Park subdivision, proposed by David Robinette, on 15.15 acres, 11739 Turkey Creek Road. That approval is contingent upon Robinette’s fulfilling Town staff’s comments. The subdivision would involve 38 lots on the George Smith Property, which is located on the north side of Turkey Creek Road, across from Anchor Park to the west of Briarstone subdivision.
Shipley said a couple months ago the property was rezoned from R-1 to R-3, which allows for a small-lot, single-family residential subdivision district. One “subject to” item included adding an emergency vehicle access. Shipley said because there are more than 30 lots planned for the subdivision, the developer will have to have an emergency access.
• voted unanimously to recommend a site plan for a fenced-in area at Dog Days Canine Playschool, 10875 Kingston Pike. When Dog Days Canine Playschool owner Harriet Wilson received Board approval to have a fenced-in area for the dogs during its meeting Dec. 22 but she still had to submit a site plan for approval.
• approved changes to the Town’s parking ordinances to allow future developers to have fewer parking spaces in a commercial development and to justify why it would need more spaces than the ordinance allows.
• approved a color palette for accent colors on buildings that would be added to the Town’s Architectural Guidelines.
