Sugarwood residents curious about Glafenhein’s plans
Seven residents of Sugarwood subdivision were present for Farragut Municipal Planning Commission’s Thursday, March 16 meeting, curious about plans for the development of 155 to 170 units adjacent to Sugarwood along Virtue Road by developer Glen Glafenhein.
“This is a nice piece of property with some physical opportunities, including the Little Turkey Creek floodplain and some steep slopes,” Mark Shipley, Town’s Community Development director, said.
Due to the topography, he said town staff see the property as a potential candidate for a cluster development rather than a traditional development.
“I am not against the development. … “I am just concerned that the clusters are not put on the highest part of the slope. Along Broadwood, there are several houses that already have retention basins,” said Joy Casper of Butternut Circle in Sugarwood. “There’s a neighbor who has a trampoline. When it rains, it is not unusual for the rain water to go up to the level of the trampoline.”
“In your preliminary platting designs, have you paid any attention to how the water flows?” FMPC member Ed Whiting asked Glafenhein.
“Our land planner is paying attention to issues like that,” Glafenhein said.
“It’s taken 10 years to get Sugarwood to where it doesn’t flood frequently,” Whiting added.
FMPC member Rose Ann Kile moved to accept Glafenhein’s proposal, subject to bringing Virtue Road [where water stands after a storm] up to Town standards.
The meeting began with a discussion of a sewer system that may create an unexpected greenway in Hanover Court. The new subdivision will have 34 attached homes on about 10 acres near Old Stage Road.
The developer, Turner Homes, LLC, is requesting gravity sewers rather than pump sewers. The change would necessitate the sewers running across the designated greenspace.
“I know better than to come before the FMPC asking for something you don’t want,” said Richard LeMay, Turner Home’s engineer, acknowledging he knew the group wouldn’t want to disturb the natural area. But he pointed out a silver lining — by cutting down a pathway of about 230 feet, mainly through “saplings,” a pathway into an otherwise unused green space could be created.
“We looked at several routes through this open space to do the least disturbance to the trees,” LeMay said.
“I wouldn’t mind to designate it as a trail that the HOA has to maintain,” Alderman Louise Povlin said.
LeMay advised a grass trail. FMPC members eventually agreed his proposal might work.
They sent LeMay back to the drawing board to consult First Utility District to confirm that his proposed pathway was the best one and secure the services of an arborist to create a landscape plan.
“The final plat will have to come back to us, for sure,” Shipley said.
