Fight still ongoing to nix Ivey-Pecos connector road
The couple are 17-year residents of Pecos Road in Saddle Ridge subdivision, and Tim has led the charge for nearly two years, asking Town officials and developers with the next-door Ivey Farm property not to connect the two developments.
Even though a site plan was approved by Farragut Municipal Planning Commission in March 2019 — with a change at that time appearing to be a compromise for homeowners (Pecos will connect to a road in the new neighborhood that has a cul-de-sac on one end and connects to the main road on the other) — Sayers along with fellow Pecos Road residents, including Jeff and Ashley Kendall, are still hoping to revisit the issue.
Saddle Ridge residents have appeared before FMPC numerous times, making the request.
Safety has been the key factor driving the request, especially for the Kendalls, who have young children and have voiced concerns about how increased traffic flow could put residents’ lives in danger, as that portion of the neighborhood lacks sidewalks or any type of traffic-calming measures.
“Pedestrian and bicycle safety is a piece of it, although my children no longer live here,” Sayers said during an interview.
“My other concern is that once we are no longer a one-way-in, one-way-out neighborhood, it lends additional access for criminals.”
If the road can’t remain as a dead end, Sayers suggested as a compromise allowing the road to be an emergency vehicle access-only throughway.
Sayers said he had been told by Town officials the developer could ask for a site-plan change, and Sayers also said the project’s original developer, Travis Fuller, “was agreeable” to the residents’ request.
However, Fuller is no longer attached to the residential portion of the project, and Sayers said he has not heard back from the current contractor, Goodall Homes.
In a July 1 e-mail to Saddle Ridge homeowners, Farragut Vice Mayor Louise Povlin, who is also an FMPC Commissioner, stated in regard to the March 2019 FMPC site plan approval, “with this action, the concept plan was considered finalized by the planning commission. There are no outstanding issues to be resolved with regard to the concept plan.
“If any changes of merit are deemed necessary by the applicant, they would have to return to the planning commission for approval,” she added.
Povlin went on to note that Town regulations require subdivisions “to have more than one public street vehicular access to provide connecting to abutting properties.”
