One flipped Farragut vote means Advance Knox won't go to mediation after all

Take that last vote and reverse it.

Members of the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen, who faced tremendous political pressure after shooting down the Advance Knox Growth Policy Plan, have now approved the planning overhaul with a 3-2 vote.

Alderman Scott Meyer flipped his vote at the board's April 11 meeting after he voted against it during the Farragut board's March 28 meeting. Mayor Ron Williams and Vice Mayor Louise Povlin voted in favor of the plan for a second time, and Aldermen Drew Burnette and David White maintained their stances against it.

Meyer declined to explain his change of heart after the vote, but said April 3 his concerns with Advance Knox were addressed by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. He told Knox News he wished he read the plan sooner.

The flip saves Knox County and Farragut leaders from a potentially ugly mediation fight. With the change, the update to the 20-year-old growth plan is close to final.

County leaders designed the plan to prevent rural land from being lost to development, ease strain on infrastructure and help the county grow in a more controlled way.

The Growth Policy Plan has now been approved by Knox County, Knoxville and Farragut. After more than two years of work and $1.2 million, Advance Knox will face one more vote before it is approved: The Knox County Commission has to approve the Future Land Use Plan, the other half of Advance Knox, at its April 22 meeting.

If approved, the Advance Knox could take effect as early as May 1.

The plan was created with input from Knoxville, Knox County and Farragut leaders. At Farragut's leaders' request, it doesn't impact land within the town's boundaries.

The April 11 meeting lacked the tension and anger of the previous meetings, but Eric Johnson, a Farragut founder, called for the resignation of White due to his earlier behavior.

White maintained his opinion that the board shouldn't vote on Advance Knox again, but did not storm out of the room as he did previously.

White is not up for reelection until 2026 but said he was not planning to run again.

Burnette reaffirmed his opinion that there were positive aspects of Advance Knox for both Farragut and Knox County, but he was troubled by how it would affect Northshore Drive, the Choto area and Hardin Valley.

"We have shared interests," he said. "This area is at a breaking point in regards to traffic and safety and the current road conditions do not support the traffic that's already there. The transportation plan only has minor improvements to the area, leaving these areas in a tough spot."

Hardin Valley and Choto are not in the area he represents, but Burnette said the "cut through" traffic would harm his constituents.

Meyer, Povlin and Williams did not comment during discussion.

Jacobs said after the vote that nobody is happy with the status quo and that passing Advance Knox is the first step to make things better.

"Change is uncomfortable, I understand that," he said. "But if we don't take the opportunity to make those changes when we should, we're going to end up in the same situation 20 years from now."

Why did Farragut vote on Advance Knox again?

In addition to Meyer, aldermen White and Burnette voted against the plan March 28. Afterward, the aldermen were required by state law to defend their vote against Advance Knox at an April 3 special meeting.

White refused to defend his answer, and Burnette said he felt guilt over his vote but stood by it. While the plan affects the whole county, he said he thought the plan negatively affected the residents of Farragut. He took issue with improvements proposed for Choto and the expanded growth area in Hardin Valley, which are both outside the town he represents.

Meyer said he decided to change his vote after Jacobs and other officials said they would prioritize low-density developments in that area over high-density developments, which could lead to more traffic.

Meyer rescinded his vote and motioned to put Advance Knox on the April 11 agenda once again. That motion was approved 3-1 with support from Mayor Williams and Vice Mayor Povlin, who have been in favor of Advance Knox from the beginning.

Burnette voted against it, and White left in protest before the April 3 vote took place, claiming the motion was not legal, which Farragut town attorney Tom Hale refuted.

“You can listen to the friggin attorney. I’ve had it,” White said April 3. “I will not stand here and listen to the law be violated 20 times that you suckers all agree with.”

Hale told Knox News that while elected officials rarely change their minds, Farragut's rules allow for it.

Williams and Povlin argued the traffic issues on Northshore are largely due to the current, outdated growth plan. Without a new growth plan, the growth and traffic problems would remain.

"My concern is what affects (Farragut) and this does not affect us," Williams said March 28. "The traffic's going to be the same. You're going to see the unincorporated area developed. It'd be back to business as usual."

Farragut avoids mediation and strained relationships with county leaders

As a result of the new vote, Farragut is avoiding a potentially costly mediation process.

Days after the March 28 spoiler, Jacobs said he would ask the secretary of state's office to convene a panel to help Farragut, Knox County and Knoxville find a solution on Advance Knox. If that hadn't worked, a state arbitrator would have made a final decision.

Knox County and Farragut would have footed the bill for mediation, unless the state found that one entity acted unreasonably or in bad faith. Hale told Knox News that White's refusal to provide an explanation for his vote could have put that burden on Farragut.

"If the people in Nashville who are trying to mediate the (disagreements) don't know what the differences are, how are they going to mediate the resolution?" Hale said.

Mediation isn't the only thing the town avoided. In the wake of the spoiler vote, some elected officials threatened to route tax dollars away from Farragut projects.

Jacobs said after the Farragut board voted down the growth plan that road improvement projects, including Emory Road in northeast Knox County, could take priority over Campbell Station Road in Farragut.

Knox County Commission Chair Terry Hill told Knox News the town wouldn't be getting much help from her. Commissioners have a final say over Jacobs' budget for the upcoming year.

Knox County funds a number of Farragut projects, including a new elementary school, a greenway from Concord to Choto and funding for the Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce.

What's next for Advance Knox?

The Knox County Commission will vote on the Future Land Use Plan at its April 22 meeting.

The Future Land Use Plan specifies which developments could be developed on certain tracts of land. Developments range from town centers, commercial spaces, single-family subdivisions and more.

The commission's vote will be held at 5 p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

Silas Sloan is the growth and development reporter. Email silas.sloan@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as 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.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Farragut reverses course on Advanced Knox planning overhaul