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traveling and running a campaign, and she isn’t sure exactly how it would impact Farragut. She’s planning on sitting down with Povlin before the Farragut vote to talk more. She said she went to public input meetings and watched a few of the Growth Policy Committee meetings.
She said overall, voters she talked to didn’t feel like they knew what was going on with the plan.
“It seemed like it was just such a huge overview plan rather than knowing specifics ... people want to know what they’re buying into, either approving or not approving,” Russell said. “There was just too much that was still left to be defined.”
No public input meetings were held in District 5 or Farragut, according to the Advance Knox website. Four virtual input meetings were held between March 29, 2022, and April 6, 2023. Public Input sessions were held from Feb. 24, 2022, to Jan. 10, 2024, when Jacobs recommended the plan.
You can find where your property lies on the Future Land Use Plan with Advance Knox’s interactive map at advanceknox.org. Click on the “interactive map” button.
“I definitely would not have approved it,” Russell said. “If I were doing as a straight up or down vote, I would not.”
Russell’s Democratic opponent in the Aug. 1 general election, S. Arthur Moore, holds a more favorable view.
“The hope for (Advance Knox) is that implementation of Advance Knox will lead to less pressure on Farragut,” he told Knox News in an email. “This would stabilize our housing prices so that our teachers, nurses and police officers can afford to live in the communities they serve.”
But Moore has concerns. “What most concerns me is our approach to the county’s infrastructure. Knox County is already struggling with traffic congestion and decaying roads,” We must balance our future development with our county’s current needs.”
According to the proposed Future Land Use Map, the land northwest of Farragut is farmland, while much of the other surrounding land in Knox County is suburban. That map doesn’t impact land within Farragut limits.
“The people of Farragut and Concord want to ensure we preserve the character of our unique corner of Knox County, and that we’re always Farragut and not simply a suburb of Knoxville,” Moore said.
“We don’t want to be caught up in urban sprawl or in the worsening traffic that plagues our county. People in Farragut aren’t anti-development. They believe Knox County should not be one-size-fits-all when it comes to type, size and composition of those developments.”
At a Knox County Commission meeting March 18, 9th District Commissioner Carson Dailey touted improvements in the Northshore and Choto area.
“(Choto residents) are not on an island out there. Sometimes they think they’re on an island and they want things their way,” Dailey said. “To get things their way, you’ve got to have growth.”
He took the opportunity to urge Farragut leaders to pass Advance Knox.
5th District Commissioner John Schoonmaker voted in favor of Advance Knox
Knox County Commissioners already approved part of Advance Knox. District 5 Commissioner John Schoonmaker, who voted in favor, told Knox News he hadn’t heard that Farragut aldermen would oppose the plan but acknowledged he hadn’t outright asked them all. He touted provisions he was able to add to Advance Knox that make it more attractive to his district.
“I was able to work with Mayor Jacobs and we’ve allocated $2 million to improve Northshore between the two roundabouts (near Choto) and that’s going to help with traffic flow,” he said.
“Because Farragut has their own rules and their own comprehensive land use plan, (Advance Knox is) not going to affect them. What’s going to affect them is how the Choto area is developed out as far as if traffic will come (into the town of Farragut).”
Silas Sloan is the growth and development reporter. Email silas.sloan@knoxnews.com . Twitter @silasloan. Instagram @knox.growth .
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.