Town to Ingles: ‘you’ve got until Feb. 11’ to fix old site
Farragut residents should expect some improvements soon to the former Ingles building, next to the supermarket giant’s currently location, along Kingston Pike.
Residents have reported seeing tiles falling off the roof and garbage piling up in the back of the building for years.
However, “We have made progress with Ingles,” Farragut Mayor Ron Williams said during an annual strategic workshop Friday, Jan. 25, with Board of Mayor and Aldermen. “(The improvements) are under way.”
“We have been trying to get them to clean up their property,” Town administrator David Smoak said.
Owners of the Ingles property were cited in Farragut Municipal Court Monday, Jan. 14, for violations of property management, Smoak said, but they were given an extra 30 days to work on improvements.
“So, I believe they have until Feb. 11 to get that done,” he said. “(Farragut Community Development director) Mark (Shipley) met with them on site to tell them exactly what they need to do.
“They should be out there cleaning it up, but they are also telling us they are looking to renovate the façade of the building,” Smoak added. “We’ve seen some renderings, (but) I haven’t gotten an official application yet for the (Farragut Municipal) Planning Commission, so that’s something they are telling us is in the works.
“In a few months, they should be getting that to us.”
“Is that with the intention of renting those spaces out again?” Vice Mayor Louise Povlin asked.
“Let’s hope so,” Smoak responded. “That would be very good to get that filled back in again.”
He noted, however, if the clean-up does not occur, “they will go back to Municipal Court and have to talk to the judge about it.”
“The only thing I would say to it is I think we need to stop it from getting close to the garbage they let come (on the site),” Alderman Drew Burnette said. “It’s not pointing (fingers) at anybody, but that is ridiculous. The Town doesn’t deserve that. We needed to head that off a long, long time ago. They need to be held responsible. I know that’s what (the staff) has been doing.
“(Ingles officials) say they’re going to do it, but they need to feel the force of our Town,” he added. “That’s not acceptable by any resident, by any standard.”
“We try to work with people as best we can,” Smoak said. “We try to give them opportunity upon opportunity upon opportunity, and Mark has been talking to them for a year.
“That’s a long time, and finally, unfortunately, they weren’t pulling the trigger,” he added. “We had to, unfortunately, pull the trigger and that finally got their attention.”
Burnette said he has heard business owners saying, “I would love to put my business there.”
“There’s been a ton of people showing interest in being in that location,” Povlin added.
Williams pointed out a bridal gown business “asking for 12,000 to 14,000 square feet.
“Businesses like that are what we need,” he added. “That’s something that’s sustainable.”
On a similar note, Williams said the Town does not expect anything to be done to the old Kroger site until the land lease expires in June.
On another commercial topic, as Alderman Scott Meyer said one of his five-year goals is to fill all the commercial spaces, Smoak said the former Phillips 66 property, located on the corner of North Campbell Station Road and Kingston Pike has been purchased.
“The (new owner’s) got $700,000 in that piece of property, so I’m sure he’s going to be doing something with it,” Williams said.
