We are not a membership organization. We are volunteers who study our community issues, share concerns and take action when needed.

To be a part of us just check in here as we share information.

We do ask for contributions to allow us to pay the legal fees we incur in taking our issues to court. That is the way you can help most. Please send your gift directly to Kramer Rayson law firm . Notation: NCA at PO Box 629, Knoxville, TN 37901

Thank you. Together we can keep our neighborhoods safe and attractive.

Here is the post.

“… not sure what this means, but it doesn’t sound good – “

HB147 ENVIRONMENT & NATURE: Water quality – powers of department of environment and conservation.

Sponsors: Rep. Zachary, Jason

Summary: Prohibits the department of environment and conservation from requiring any permit, inspection, review, or approval of plans for the construction, installation, or modification of any land application system that the board of water quality, oil and gas is authorized to incentivize by rule as part of a system of incentives for alternatives to discharges to surface waters, including a land application system qualifying as a public sewerage system. Broadly captioned.

Fiscal Note: (Dated January 12, 2021) NOT SIGNIFICANT

House Status: 02/01/21 – Referred to House Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee.

Caption: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 5; Title 7, Chapter 35; Title 65 and Title 69, relative to water quality.

Please help us keep an eye on this one.

In other incidents, individuals were seen on or in properties. There has been a sighting of a young white male, dressed seemingly inappropriately for the weather (impaired?) walking about neighboring property (reconnaissance?).

We urge you to be vigilant and to report anything you may see to the Knox County Sheriff’s Department. The deputies ask us to report ANYTHING suspicious to them. Don’t worry about annoying them. What may seem irrelevant to you could be the one observation that helps them knit together a case. Don’t expect feedback from the deputies. They won’t give out information that could damage a case in the making or cast false suspicion. They are also very busy keeping us safe.

We also urge you to talk to your neighbors and watch each other’s homes and vehicles.

Thank you for standing with us this year as we worked for protection of our neighborhoods and for better land use planning in West Knox County. Your support has been our lifeblood. You faithfully turned out for hearings, you contacted and supported our leaders, you guided us with your questions and comments and critically, you provided vital financial support. Together we are bringing about change.

We wish you the very best, hoping you are well and safe during this holiday season.

Our NCA case against the developers of the proposed Post Oak Bend development was heard remotely yesterday by the court of appeals. It was a very abbreviated hearing and apparently the scheduling came up on short notice. Arguments were limited to only thirty minutes.

We can only imagine the challenge for our attorneys attempting to digest this complex case to fit that window and on short notice.

I have listened to the hearing online.

Warning:

My comments are purely the perspective of a layperson viewing complex issues of law far “above my pay grade”.

Tom Hale’s argument was cogent and his presentation was passionate and compelling. He boiled down a great deal of information and made it comprehensible, at least to me. Of course, he submitted a full written brief of the arguments to support his presentation.

In a nutshell, very late in the game, unknown to us, a deal was struck between the developer, Post Oak Bend and First Utility District. FUD somehow found the money and is now able to relieve the developer of the burden of convincing the judges and community that a commercial sewer treatment plant is a permitted use in a residential neighborhood. They now argue that the FUD commitment by (private?) letter to the developer makes the central question on which the case hangs – moot. They ask the judges to overrule Judge Davis’s opinion. Our counsel strongly disagrees.

The question of the sewer plant has been a slippery phantom to us all along with the developer’s plans changing and evolving throughout the process and our ability to find their plans, assess them and respond to changes a very great challenge.

Secondarily, Tom addressed matters of appropriate civic authority of the bodies impacting our case – very complex stuff and he certainly did not have time to flesh that out.

We expect to hear the appellate judges’ opinion in a “couple of months”.

Editorial opinion. If FUD has somehow found funds and time to build a large new commercial sewer treatment plant that would serve the Tooles Bend Peninsula (where existing homes already have sewer arrangements and which would only be necessitated by the new development), shouldn’t those funds be applied to solving the very real problems still confronting the Bluegrass area where flooding is still threatening homes and businesses and where sewage escaped in the last major flooding event?

Traffic plans and improvements for Knoxville’s major arteries come through the (TPO) Traffic Planning Organization. They want our input. This is our chance.

We urge you to participate through the link below:

Neighbors,

We would like to make you aware of a rezoning proposal for a parcel on Concord Road for the purpose of high-density low-income housing.

The parcel in question is located along Concord Road (between the traffic circle at Northshore Drive at Concord Road and the traffic light at Turkey Creek Road and Concord Road. It is immediately proximate to the Clarity Point retirement living facility and also close to the lake and the old town of Concord. )(Parcel ID153 03706).

The proposal is for the ultimate potential of several, three or possibly four-story buildings and potentially 151 apartments. If approved, it would override Knox County’s present zoning and Town of Farragut plans already in place.

The matter will be considered by the Knoxville and Knox County Planning Commission on Thursday, September 10th.

If you have an opinion on this proposal you can contact 1) the Planning Commissioners (as opposed to Knox County Commissioners), 2) the Planning Staff and/or 3) attend the meeting on Tuesday.

For your information –

Staff Planner: michelle.portier@knoxplanning.org

Commissioners: commission@knoxplanning.org

Subject line: 9-E 20-RZ & 9-A-20-SP (application reference number)

Both the Town of Farragut Board of Aldermen and Mayor and the Knox County Commissioner for the Farragut area (John Schoonmaker) and have expressed concern and stated support for maintaining the present zoning which supports the planning and goals now in place and respects infrastructure capacity and budgets.

Already impacting Northshore Drive, Westland Drive and Pelllissippi Parkway traffic flow are numerous new large apartment complexes comprising many hundreds of units – all feeding traffic to these arteries. Some of these complexes are still under construction. To mention a few locations – Wallace Rd. at Northshore Drive (behind Manor Care assisted living), Westland Drive at West Emory Rd., Westland Drive at Ebenezer, off Thunderhead Rd. (?) at Northshore Town Center, and also at Falling Waters off Northshore and Pellissippi. All of this is happening at a time when roadway infrastructure funds are already inadequate and road construction projects are at least years away.

It is unclear whether the corporations erecting these large housing projects in our community have local ownership and therefore an interest in their impact on the health and well being of Knoxville and Knox County and hopefully return of investment to the community. It is also unclear whether there is an overall plan for Knox County housing growth that would foresee and prevent a glut of one type of housing or other adverse impacts on the community.

For your reference:

Below is a letter from Knox County engineering head Jim Snowden to (new) City of Knoxville head, Harold Cannon.

Jim Snowden <Jim.Snowden@knoxcounty.org>

8:23 AM (17 minutes ago)

to John, Mandi, hcannon@knoxvilletn.gov, Joe, Cathy, Anne, Bart, Bill, me, Gary, John, Kathy, Lee, Linda, Mary, Nancy, booksrrs@gmail.com, Richard, Sherry

Harold,

I hope this email finds you well. With the pending rain this weekend, this issue came to my mind and I was hoping you might have an update from the City. Since we last met, we have completed the requested survey at your request. Leo and I have looked over this information and thankfully discovered little change. Therefore, we continue to believe the most cost-effective flooding solution to the Bluegrass Lake area is a permanent pump station. Knox County has allocated $500,000 to this project and is eager to move forward with a design/construction project, but will need a similar commitment by the City to do so. Would you care to please update the group of what the City wishes may be? Thanks in advance buddy.

Jim Snowden, P.E.

Senior Director

Engineering and Public Works

Office: 865-215-5808

205 West Baxter Avenue

Knoxville, TN 37917

It is our position that knowledgeably engaging the candidates and commissioners in conversation on the issues and following those issues through the processes, letting them understand our needs and concerns is the way to be effective in influencing their votes. We encourage you to do that. We do our best but need much citizen help.

It is important to draw out the candidates on their positions on the issues that concern you. We believe it is a candidate’s responsibility to be forthcoming with their views.