‘Very large influx’
from other states to Farragut: SF/FBA
People from across the United States, especially New York, are moving to Farragut as observed by a few Town business leaders.
“I’ve noticed, at the restaurant every weekend, there seems to be a very large influx of people from other states. People are moving here,” said Candace Viox, chair of Shop Farragut/Farragut Business Alliance, about a trend at Water into Wine bistro & lounge, 607 N. Campbell Station Road, which she owns.
She and other Alliance members spoke about this influx into Town during the SF/FBA virtual meeting Thursday morning, July 16.
Concerning the intensity of influx, “Houses are selling within hours of going up for sale,” Viox said. “I’ve met many, many couples from New York state, I’ve met a couple of couples from California.
“So, this COVID thing is bringing a whole different kind of group of people to our community, and I’ve seen it first-hand at the restaurant,” she added.
As for “one particular couple” moving here, “They’re leaving their $2 million, two bedroom, one bath apartment in New York City and they’re moving here because they can both work from home now,” Viox told Alliance members. “They want to be in an area with parks, and they love our sidewalks and they love all the things (Vice Mayor) Louise (Povlin) and our Mayor (Ron Williams) and everybody have fought for.
“They’re looking for that small, hometown, safe feel,” she added. “So, hold on to your hats and glasses, ’cause there’s a lot of people that are flooding to Farragut right now. I know everybody is seeing that.”
“A fellow from an hour west of Chicago reached out to me, and I met him and his family for lunch — of course we sat outside — and he runs his business basically out of his home, and he’s looking to relocate down here,” Povlin, also an Alliance member, said. “They were studying the area.
“They did not want to move to Nashville because, obviously, there’s so much going on there — and it’s very expensive,” she added.
Instead, Farragut/Knoxville “was a natural fit for him,” Povlin said.
Saying she talked to a prominent area realtor, “They are up 60 percent in business from this same time last year,” Povlin said. “They’re seeing a lot of people moving to this area. Farragut is sitting pretty with all the things that people are looking for.”
“And they’re pushing the price of houses up, by the way,” Stephen Krempasky, Alliance executive director, said.
As for the Town keeping up with economic growth, “Hopefully we can see that old Kroger area filled out and see the heart of our Town removed of its old scars of empty
buildings,” Povlin said about the proposed location for a Town center. “And we can start activity.
“We’re in a good position,” she added. “It still takes a lot of work to make sure our Land Use Plan is well-suited for what we’d like to see.
“And to make sure that, as we continue to grow out, we’re not negatively impacting the quality of life that we all very much value in the Town of Farragut.”
Overall, “It’s interesting, it’s exciting — it sounds overwhelming,” Povlin said.
