Meadows on McFee gets BOMA variance
Farragut’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a variance request from proposed Meadows on McFee designer Russ Rackley Thursday, April 8, clearing the pending preliminary plat’s final hurdle for the planned 67-lot subdivision development.
It was the one business item before BOMA on the April 8 agenda.
Farragut’s Municipal Planning Commission conditionally approved the preliminary plat for the 32-acre subdivision, being built along McFee Road on a portion of the Velma Seal property and the former Gibson farm, during its Thursday, March 18, meeting.
It also approved a variance to permit an internal design roadway speed of 30 mph, rather than 35 mph, on two specific roads within the development.
However, a second variance requiring driveways to be at least 400 feet apart along an arterial street also needed approval from BOMA to proceed, as it is part of the Towns’ Driveways and Other Access Ways ordinance, Community Development director Mark Shipley said. FMPC recommended approval at its March 18 meeting.
“McFee Road is classified on the Major Road Plan as a minor arterial street and the proposed Meadows on McFee subdivision includes two access points onto McFee Road,” Shipley stated in a BOMA report. “As measured from centerline to centerline, these access points are 504 feet apart.
“Due to the presence of existing accesses along each side of McFee Road, neither access proposed for the Meadows on McFee will meet the 400-foot separation requirement,” the report further stated.
“In the case of the northern access for the Meadows on McFee, the closest existing access is 76 feet to the north on the east side of McFee Road. This access serves two single family dwelling units. In the case of the southern access for the Meadows on McFee, the closest existing access is 135 feet to the north on the east side of McFee Road. This access would serve three single-family dwelling units.
“As discussed with the Planning Commission, having more than one way into and out of a development is consistent with the connectivity goals encouraged in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, and with two access points there is no arrangement that the applicant could provide that would avoid the need for a variance,” the report further stated.
“As conveyed to staff, the applicant has proposed their access points based on topography, existing utility pole locations, the number of lots that are served by existing accesses and potential development of larger nearby tracts.”
FMPC approved the preliminary concept plan in November 2020.
