Turkey Creek’s 25th remembered in book
Nixon, key ‘land partner’ in TC deals, gives details
While not widely available to the public, copies recently were presented to Town of Farragut by Jim Nixon, one of the key players in the development: one copy to Town administrator David Smoak, which will be on display in Farragut Museum, along with a personal copy to Mayor Ron Williams.
Nixon, a well-known commercial real estate developer who currently works with Turley & Co. Real Estate Investments, said the book “took longer than anticipated,” adding, “We hoped it would have been finished by the end of 2020, as we bought the land in 1995.”
In a previous interview Nixon, who also serves on the Board of directors for Shop Farragut/Farragut Business Alliance, said he was “a very small partner” as a member of both Turkey Creek Land Partners and Farragut Land Partners, which began the development.
“But I did a lot of the deals in there,” he added.
Nixon also worked as “the liaison between Turkey Creek Land Partners, Farragut Land Partners and (Town of) Farragut,” he added.
The volume was compiled by a team at the public relations and marketing firm Moxley-Carmichael, and details the project from its very beginnings — even including commentary and pictures from protesters.
“They went back and interviewed a lot of people for the book, even some who were against the project,” Nixon said. “They also interviewed several mayors.”
The hardbound book is ripe with those interviews, along with numerous photographs of the development’s groundbreaking and its ongoing growth during the last quarter century.
Retail beginnings
It began from a nearly 400-acre farmland, which now stretches from Campbell Station to Lovell roads, and fronts Interstate 40/75.
Today, more than 200 retail specialty shops and restaurants fill the development, as does several big box stores, including Publix, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and the recently-reopened Earth Fare.
Turkey Creek has generated untold millions in tax revenues for both Knox County and Farragut down through the years, as about 33 percent of Turkey Creek is within Town limits.
“We didn’t know how it would turn out, but we hoped it would be successful,” Nixon said. “And it has been. There is still a lot of activity there, and they are still building.
“We are very proud of it, and our role in making it happen,” he added.
