letters to the editor
Burnette answers June 26 criticisms of BOMA
I am writing to address some points raised in a recent Letter to the Editor, and to clarify my stance on these issues as we approach the upcoming election for the South Ward Alderman for the Town of Farragut.
In 2018, I was appointed to fill the remainder of Mayor Ron Williams’ term as South Ward Alderman. The Watt Road apartments were approved in 2017, well before I began my service on the Board.
Traffic mitigation has been a focus for me during my term in office and these projects take time to develop. I have worked with our Town engineer and the Community Development director to understand the exact causes and possible solutions. The Board has put considerable effort and resources into improving the efficiency of our traffic system in Farragut.
Over the next six years, the Board of Mayor and Alderman have $35 million dollars budgeted for Capital Investment Projects throughout Town. Of that amount, over $25 million dollars have been budgeted for road and infrastructure projects designed to improve traffic flow and safety of our roadways. This focus of capital dollars on infrastructure projects demonstrates the importance of providing tangible roadway solutions for the future.
One of our largest expenditures is the new traffic light management system that is currently being installed throughout Farragut. This $7 million dollar project is being funded by a federal grant.
This project will be complete by September 2024 and will fully connect fiber to all our traffic lights and Town facilities, can be adjusted remotely and timing for the lights will be optimized based on current traffic patterns.
We have numerous other traffic mitigation strategies in the budget, including a light at Jamestown Boulevard and Campbell Station Road that will reduce strain off the intersection at 35 North.
I’ve heard from many neighbors in Concord Hills that they desire easier access turning out of their neighborhood onto Concord Road. We have a project in the budget to add a stop light at Loop Road, which will create gaps in traffic that will mitigate this issue.
These additional connections, along with traffic light improvements, provide alternate routes around Town without negatively impacting our community character and pedestrian safety.
There are no more apartments planned for the Town of Farragut. The Future Land Use Map and Comprehensive Plan have been amended to exclude further development of apartments. Additionally, I approved amendments to several zoning ordinances that further protected the Town from unwanted multifamily developments in the Town Center District.
There are no medians planned for Kingston Pike, and the Town Center Vision Plan, which received enormous public input and over 1,000 responses, has not even been considered or voted on by the Board of Mayor and Alderman.
Alderman Drew Burnette,
South Ward
