Concerns about new Ivey Farms subdivision
Nine residents along Union Road and its adjacent subdivisions turned out at Farragut’s Staff-Developer meeting to find out more about plans for the proposed Ivey Farms subdivision, which developers are planning to build along Union Road.
“Will the Ivey Farm development precede before any work is done on (Union Road)?” Saddle Ridge resident Melissa Schell asked during the meeting, which took place Tuesday, Feb. 5. “I’m not understanding how you can have plans for the development before it’s determined on how the road (will be done).”
“The applicant will construct the road from Kingston Pike to Union Road, and they also will be working on the roundabout (on Union Road),” Farragut Community Development director Mark Shipley replied. “All that has to occur before they will be able to develop the Ivey Farm.
“They can be working on all of that concurrently, but that’s going to have to be finished before they can plat any house lots and people are actually living in the subdivision.”
At present, he said staff still is working with the consultant on finalizing the details of the roundabout at Union Road.
“We’re not going to plat house lots and have people accessing Union Road in its current condition,” Shipley said.
The preliminary plat from Site Incorporated is not expected to be on the agenda until March and only will be a workshop item in February, with no action to be taken, he added.
“From a staff’s perspective, I think the engineering firm has done a pretty good job with these plans,” Shipley said.
The plat calls for 214 residential lots on the 110.92-acre property, which is located between Saddle Ridge and Fox Run subdivisions.
The homes will be priced at more than $300,000, with many running about $400,000, said Travis Fuller, president of Belle Investment Company, which is developing the subdivision.
“This is a very expensive development,” Shipley said. “It’s well-developed.”
Union Road resident Charlene Troutt was concerned about additional lots being placed near her property.
“The original plan had 18 lots (in that space), and now there’s 24,” Troutt said. “Already, that is a crowded little area there.”
On another issue, Alderman Louise Povlin pointed out a cul-de-sac, which was in a previous plat, had been taken out and replaced with a connector road onto Pecos Road in Saddle Ridge subdivision.
“With this (new) design, I feel like you are turning Pecos Road into a thoroughfare,” she said. “That’s not really what the intention was. This was to local connection. I would love to see the cul-de-sac be put back in.
“I could see (the connector road) being a problem for existing neighborhoods,” Povlin added.
“We had to change it based it upon the lot count,” Fuller said. “It’s still got to be financially feasible.
“We can’t go in there and cul-de-sac it off and lose another 20 lots over here,” he said, pointing to another location on the plat.
“Is there a way we can come in there and gate and lockbox that and let that be an emergency access for both subdivisions?” Fuller asked.
“I live on Pecos Road,” Schell said. “I agree with putting the lockbox on.”
