Monthly Archives: January 2019

Efforts to Scrap the Knox County Growth Plan Defeated by the County Commission 
by Diane Montgomery
January 28, 2019

Tonight we represented you at the Knox County Commission meeting and came away with a MAJOR VICTORY FOR CITIZENS AND INCLUSIVE, TRANSPARENT PLANNING!

A motion to exempt Knox County from state law PC 1101 (that mandates communities must have and adhere to an inclusive, comprehensive planning document) WAS DEFEATED in a hard fought battle that lasted several hours.

Northshore Corridor Association stood shoulder- to- shoulder with Hardin Valley Planning Advocates and five other community groups from North, East and South Knoxville, the League of Women Voters and the Town of Farragut.

Commissioners Brad Anders and Randy Smith made a passionate, relentless push to abandon present state law (by exemption) and free Knox County to proceed on its own. Their numerous procedural maneuvers ultimately failed (but caused much confusion and numerous clarifications by the County Law Director).

Commissioner John Schoonmaker very effectively represented the citizens by presenting and repeatedly defending and clarifying a counter-measure. He was strongly joined by Michele Carringer, Carson Dailey, Evelyn Gill and Charles Busler who all spoke for the citizens and the importance of planning and citizen input. Commissioner Hugh Nystrom, sponsor of the exemption resolution, much to his credit, conducted the meeting with thoroughness and fairness, no easy task under the circumstances.

Many thanks are due to Kim Frazier, Kevin Murphy and John Schoonmaker who all devoted much time to preparation and communication that allowed the meeting to be productive and fair. We hope you will take time to extend them your thanks and support.

Northshore Corridor Neighbors,

We have very important news.

On Thursday, December 27, on your behalf and that of thousands of other West Knox Countians, Northshore Corridor Association filed a lawsuit in Knox County Circuit Court.

Finally, we will be in a venue that should afford a genuine opportunity to preserve the health and safety of our citizens. We are richly blessed with talent, both paid and volunteer and now will begin a forum that allows us to optimize our greatest strengths.

For some time our leadership team and legal counsel have believed our cause would be best served in a judicial rather than political arena. Getting there required that we work through the intermediate steps and establish important facts and matters. While these proceedings and outcomes have been frustrating, time consuming and costly, the process has been invaluable. We are much better equipped to further our cause – and we are very optimistic!

We also want you to know that in the process of preparing for court and using the opportunities moving into the legal arena affords, we have made some interesting, sometimes startling discoveries.

Not all can be publicly revealed as we head to court but you should know that among these, we have found documentation that indicates a plan to locate a major sewer treatment plant on Tooles Bend Road – immediately proximate to existing homes there.

Needless to say, that raises many additional and very unsavory concerns. A few of those are odor, unsightly views, the potential of homeowners being forced onto and paying for a large unwelcome sewer plant, and potentially plummeting home values.

All of this is in addition to the massive, unsafe dumping of thousands more cars daily onto the already unsafe Tooles Bend, Tedford, Wright’s Ferry, and Keller Bend Roads and finally onto the already very problematic Northshore Drive – all to benefit a single landowner while imposing upon thousands of us!

We will keep you informed as we learn more and are able to publicly share information. Toward that goal we intend to begin setting meetings in our supporting neighborhoods in the coming weeks to share information and to get your input. Please contact us if you would like a meeting.In the meantime we urge you to continue to support our important fight in every way you are able.

Volunteers and financial support are our lifeblood. Thank you for standing with us.

NCA Leadership Team