Friends of Wears Valley

John Edwards November 3rd, 2008

The Friends of Wears Valley will have a signature sheet for the Master Plan at the voting location on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

We hope to see you there!

Also, if you have not viewed the latest Planning Packet, it is now available for download in Microsoft Word format (.doc):

Planning Packet 11-11-08

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John Edwards October 30th, 2008

The Hillside Task Force met on October 14, 2008.

Highlights of these meetings include:

• Update on mapping process
• Finalize details of packet to Planning Commission – Road Grades
• Impervious surfaces
• Acid rock drainage

Minutes from these meetings are available for download in Microsoft Word format (.doc):

Hillside Task Force meeting minutes 10-14-08

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John Edwards October 15th, 2008

“On July 25, 2008 I wrote an article for the Valley Voice outlining the beginnings of a community development Master Plan. The plan was warmly received by Wears Valley residents, which has prompted further structuring of the details.

While we’re still in the beginning stages of assembling that plan, and it may be a bit premature to be discussing the details, events in the Valley continue to unfold that makes our presentation to you here and now necessary to ensure the vision we are considering.

Elements of our Master Plan currently include:

• Endorsement of the Hillside Taskforce’s Development Guidelines in two parts:

1. Encourage compliance for new development
2. Voluntary initiative for promoting the Taskforce’s ideal of “Visually Subordinate” for existing development

• Construct a Greenway parallel to Wears Valley Rd. and Cove Creek.

1. A grant application is currently being submitted to Economic Development coordinator Alan Newton for the creation of a greenway along Cove Creek (similar to the one in Townsend).
2. The tentative name of the greenway is Crowson Trail after Wears Valley founder, Aaron Crowson.
3. Vision Engineering, Commissioner Clabo, the FOWV, and I are currently working on the details. Property owners along the greenway will be contacted in the upcoming days to negotiate their acceptance of the proposed route.

• Development of the Foothills Parkway right-of way as a trail instead of a parkway.

1. This was also the conclusion of the Rte. 321 Taskforce, and I understand that $100,000 has been committed to the idea.

• Construct a Cultural Center at the intersection of the Foothills Parkway and Wears Valley Rd. – and the two trail systems.

• Widen Wears Valley Rd. to three lanes to allow for a center turning lane.

• Plan a community park in association with the proposed greenway.

• Preserve the Valley’s cultural heritage by promoting associated development standards for the Wears Valley Rd. corridor.

1. Promote Agri-tourism as the development model. Businesses with a farm-related theme.
2. New structures visually subordinate to the landscape. Low-key signage, rural architectural style and massing, shielded lighting, and an emphasis on landscaping.
3. Other cultural uses might include antique stores, and arts & crafts related businesses.

We have been encouraged by the addition of a Tennessee State Bank to Wears Valley and the pending construction of the Food City. We had contacted both of these businesses regarding their plans for construction, and have expressed our concerns that they fit the overall theme we are trying to develop. The bank has a beautiful building. We have written Food City CEO Steven Smith asking him to consider a development model that would integrate with our long-range plans, and forego their standard urban design.

We ask that the Planning Commission deliberate Wears Valley submittals with these goals in mind, and help us plan for this future – that the community endorses.”

Written by Peter Bush

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John Edwards September 10th, 2008

Peter Bush presents at the Worshop at Tremont

The Friends of Wears Valley (FOWV) were guest speakers at the Fall National Outdoors Recreation & Rural Tourism Consortium held at Tremont on September 1, 2008. Faculty from Eastern Illinois University (EIU), Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Murray State University (MSU), and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) along with 52 of their students, conducted a week-long study of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the surrounding gateway communities. The purpose of the program was to further understand the concept of Sustainable Tourism: the natural resources of an area, the effects of tourism upon them, and planned management of the two.

John Edwards and Terri Brown, president and treasurer of FOWV, and Peter Bush secretary for Sevier County Hillside Taskforce, spoke about the challenges of hillside development. Peter Bush discussed a Power Point presentation that he created for the Hillside Taskforce, which was presented to County Commission on 6/23/08. The presentation outlined the preliminary findings of the Taskforce on the subject of hillside development. Terri Brown, a graduate student/teaching assistant of the Earth and Planetary Science at the University of Tennessee, then showed a Power Point program on the subterranean geology of the area and the sensitivity of the eco-system to unmanaged development. She also spoke briefly about her efforts with the Cave Conservancy, pointing out that grants are available for students who want to excel in this field.

The hour-and-a-half presentation culminated with many questions from professors and students who endeavored to understand the efforts of the community in integrating a managed tourism economy, the resultant development that that brings, and the inherent beauty, natural wonder, and attraction of the Smokies.

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John Edwards August 5th, 2008

The Hillside Task Force met on August 5, 2008.

Highlights of these meetings include:

• Stormwater Recommendations – Doyle Clabo

Minutes from these meetings are available for download in Microsoft Word format (.doc):

Hillside Task Force meeting minutes 08-05-08

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