Champions Point area folks heard about abutted s’division plat
Farragut Municipal Planning Commission postponed action on a preliminary plat for the proposed Westerly subdivision abutting South Fox Den at its meeting Thursday, Aug. 18.
Following an hour-long debate among 10 Champions Point area residents, Commissioners and Rodney Phillips, senior project manager for Schaad Companies speaking for developer BHN-P, FMPC directed Phillips and his team to “explore a different location” other than Champions Point.
“It’s a safety issue, something I can’t get over,” said Vice Mayor Louise Povlin, who also is a commissioner.
“I would like to see more options explored,” Commissioner Shannon Preston said.
“There are other alternatives,” FMPC vice chair Ed St. Clair added.
Residents, such as Stacey Walters, said they were not against the proposed subdivision but contended an access onto Champions Point is “a significant safety hazard” because of a blind hill.
“I think it’s a terrible idea,” Adam Kirkwink said. “You would be introducing new traffic and commercial traffic (into Fox Den).”
“It doesn’t make sense to be on Champions Point when he could have an access onto Kingston Pike (through the developer’s future commercial area),” Walters said.
Phillips said trying to place an access through the commercial area “would end up a mass-grading project” and would result in a 17 percent slope grade.
Mayor Ron Williams, who also sits on FMPC, said the Town only requires up to a 14 percent slope grade.
However, St. Clair and Williams observed the access could meander around the commercial property.
“It doesn’t have to go a straight line,” St. Clair added.
“There are many ways to achieve a grade without a straight line,” resident Paul Calkins added.
“It doesn’t make sense that you can put (commercial) buildings there, but you can’t put in roads,” resident Russell Byrd said.
The developers want to build 12 lots, zoned R-1 and R-2, on 8.74 acres abutting Fox Den.
They also are planning future a commercial development next to the proposed subdivision and fronting Kingston Pike.
As such, BHN-P asked for three variances to the Town’s ordinance:
• Reduction in street width from 26 to 24 feet because of the subdivision’s small size to enhance tree preservation;
• Increasing the length of a cul-de-sac from 500 to 902 feet; and
• The Town’s requirement for more than one access into and out of the property.
Town Community Development director Mark Shipley said the issue was postponed in June because the developer’s proposed access to Champions Point did not meet the Town’s 200-foot site distance requirements for the posted speed limits.
“The main concern, really, is the access point onto Champions Point,” Shipley said. “At the June meeting, there was discussion about the traffic impact study provided by the applicant. We did make some recommendations on signage.
“Basically, they were asked to go back and re-look at this,” he added.
The applicant now is proposing moving the access point further south than what was in the original preliminary plat, “about 25 feet from the southern property line and actually raising the grade of the road that goes into the subdivision by about 6 inches,” Shipley said.
“That gives it a sight distance of at least 200 feet along the access point onto Champions Point,” he added. “They also included the signage.”
Shipley said Town engineer Darryl Smith was comfortable with the new proposal.
“You guys have looked at this — this is the third time for this project,” Phillips said. “We’re staying under the zoning ordinance here. We’re not asking to be rezoned.
“We’ve got 12 lots, which are going to be high-end residential. They are something everyone is going to be proud of,” he added. “These are going to be million-dollar plus homes in this community.
“We’re not asking for high density; we’re not asking for town homes. We think that brings value to the property.”
As the Commission asked him to look at the sight distance on Champions Point, “our initial submittal had us more center in that property,” Phillips said. “We were able to … re-engineer that road.
“We know we now meet the technical requirements to (place an access onto Champions Point),” he added.
While saying he understands people speed along Champions Point all the time, “our data and the science we got from this shows about 85 percent of the people who go through there are well under the speed limit,” Phillips said.
