Mixed-use planning ‘complex’
Developers of a proposed mixed use planned commercial development near the corner of Kingston Pike and South Watt Road still are looking for direction on a site plan.
Dan Smith, one of the developers, and engineer Mark Bialik, owner of GBS Engineering, hashed out Town of Farragut staff’s comments on their latest draft of the site plan during a Town Staff-Developer meeting Tuesday, Dec. 5.
The proposal includes a grocery store, multi-family residential structures and two retail buildings on the 44.8-acre lot, which fronts Kingston Pike and is situated behind Little Joe’s Pizza.
“Anytime you submit something this complicated, there will be a lot of comments,’ said Mark Shipley, Farragut Community Development director. “It’s better to think about it now and get it right.
“This would be workshopped at the next (Farragut Municipal Planning Commission) meeting, (7 p.m., tonight, Thursday, Dec. 21),” he added.
Shipley asked if the project is going to be done in phases.
Smith said parties interested in the grocery store aspect of the development might not want to wait for phases.
“They wouldn’t want to commit to a development that’s a long way away,” he added. “For all intents and purposes, the plan would be developed all concurrently and be done in one phase.”
One major bone of contention is an existing access located beside Little Joe’s Pizza. While one of the Town staff’s written comments suggested closing the access, Smith, Bialik and Little Joe’s Pizza owner Travis Presley requested the access remain open.
“We are in favor of the development — it would help us — but the road provides access to the rear of the (Little Joe’s Pizza) property,” Presley said. “We already are losing a good percentage of our parking space. That makes the easement more important that ever.”
However, he added, “I think this is a good looking development.”
“I would like the easement to be part of the traffic study (Town staff asked for),” Bialik said.
While the site plan is expected to go before FMPC at the Dec. 21 meeting, Bialik said they only would be looking for more direction at that time. He is not looking for any FMPC action until February.
In other business, staff members reviewed an access request onto Dixon Road for a 44.8-acre property owned by Tucker and Joyce Montgomery.
The Tuckers want to build one house on each of the four lots on the property, Joyce Montgomery said.
Shipley said he talked with Dan Johnson, Farragut Fire Marshal, and the Town attorney about the access.
Dixon Road is a collector street, so any access request onto a non-local street must go before the FMPC and Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen for approval, Shipley said.
He asked the Montgomerys to extend the 2-inch water line on the property to ensure the houses on the property are adequately protected in case of a fire.
The Montgomerys will be meeting with the fire marshal regarding fire code requirements.
A final plat for Chantilly Acres, proposed on 4.46 acres at 1006 McFee Road by Rusty Baksa, an engineer with Land Development Solutions, also would be brought to FMPC.
