letter to the editor
Opposition to Town Center is spelled out
Comments (to) Town of Farragut and the editor of farragut-press (concerning) development of old Kroger site:
I strongly oppose this development as proposed. The area from Campbell Station Road to Concord Road along Kingston Pike and down both Concord Road and Campbell Station road is arguably already the most traffic-congested area of Farragut.
It bounds Farragut High, Middle and Intermediate schools, and adding to this congestion is a hazard to the parents and children going to and from the schools. We have already made a mess of this area with the ugly “food truck” edifice, which looks like some sort of prison to me. The thing makes a mockery of the beautiful park and restoration of the Campbell Station Inn just across Campbell Station Road at Kingston Pike.
According to the US Census bureau’s most recent data, Farragut averages 2.69 persons per household at a density of 1,413 persons per square mile. What is proposed equates to a population density of 123,552 persons per square mile immediately across from the entrance to Farragut High School. If this is permitted here, what is to stop developers from insisting on the same thing throughout Farragut?
And, this puts 589 more vehicles in this congested area, based on the Farragut average of 2 vehicles per household as reported on the data USA website. This sort of population density may also attract various sorts of crime against persons and property. I submit that this is a for-profit effort on behalf of developers and is definitely not the “highest and best” use of this property, at least not from the perspective of the safety and security of Farragut.
I believe the safety and security of the Town must take precedence over developer’s rights, whether real or imagined. We fought against this sort of thing when the town was being formed, and we should do so now. The overriding issue then was annexation by Knoxville, and we formed Citizens for Home Rule to successfully oppose that effort.
But rest assured, for those of us who were involved, there was also great concern over the types of development that might have come with the increased taxes. Allowing this development flies in the face of the efforts that were made to form Farragut.
Bernard A. Roche, Farragut,
