Details emerging on ‘Biddle’ Town Center
The committee continued discussions during a Staff/Developer workshop Tuesday, Aug. 4, in preparation for the Thursday, Aug. 20, Farragut Municipal Planning Commission meeting.
Regarding the Biddle Farms development, for which the concept plans were approved on July 16, Vice Mayor Louise Povlin said she was “thrilled with the great lawn area” of the concept plans. “I almost wanted to cry when I saw it. I think that’s exactly what our community’s looking for.”
“Something else we talked with the applicant about is the central space between the commercial and residential and try to make that kind of a mini-market square,” said Mark Shipley, Community Development director. “Basically, it would be publicly owned space, (where) the street system could be shut down for events and activities.
“It could be a central gathering space, not only bringing this development together but the general community to a space they can identify as being the downtown Farragut area,” he added.
“As envisioned right now, it’s an open lawn space. To me, that’s a good thing because it’s not been programmed. It’s kind of an organically grown gathering space that can be used in a variety of ways, gives it a lot of flexibility and diversity.”
Shipley pointed out another unique aspect of the project is the addition of angled parking along Brooklawn Street.
“That would tie that part of Brooklawn together and give Brooklawn Street itself a more Town Center look and feel that would better tie it into the project being envisioned on the property to the east,” Shipley said.
“That’s going to be a well-used feature,” Farragut Mayor Ron Williams said, but added he thinks the entry should be two-way instead of right-in, right-out.
A couple of committee members questioned the residential aspect of the development and the proposed apartment building.
Committee member Scott Russ recalled plans for a vertically integrated MUPC. With that, apartments would be located above businesses.
“We found out through quite a bit of marketing people that this was not to be in our area,” Williams said. “There was no demand for it, and if there’s no demand, then you’re not going to have a developer who’s going to go there. He’s going to go where he knows he can lease space, as far as commercial and residential.
“That was made pretty clear to us by more than one developer — a matter of fact, all of them,” he added.
“That was the reason we kind of branched out and started looking at what was desirable and what the developers actually would do. We had the Town Center out there vertically for a long time, and there were no bites on it.”
Bud Collum, the developer for the Biddle Farms project, explained the vertical concept would be too costly for developers.
CLUP Steering Committee member Valerie DeBoe criticized the proposed apartment complex in the project’s plans.
“I’m not sure that is the future of Farragut,” she said. “Apartment complexes are ordinary.”
Shipley said the Mixed Use Town Center was formed in 2014 to create a pedestrian-oriented environment.
But Mixed Use Town Center area is “not one cohesive area, per se. Its three or four areas that are generally the Kingston Pike/Campbell Station Road intersection area,” he added.
