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Council awards recreation and parks master‑plan contract; proposal to require DOE reservation greenbelt overlay withdrawn
Summary
Oak Ridge Council approved a professional services contract up to $100,000 for a recreation and parks master plan but rejected placing a prescriptive greenbelt directive for DOE reservation lands into the consultant contract.
The Oak Ridge City Council authorized a professional services agreement with McGill Associates, P.A., of Knoxville for a recreation and parks master plan at a cost not to exceed $100,000.
During discussion Council member Hensley proposed an amendment to the resolution that would have required the consultant and the master plan to include a “recommended greenbelt overlay on all the DOE reservation open space waterfront and forested area” and specified several parcels and easements to be covered. Staff and other council members objected to embedding prescriptive land‑use direction into the consultant’s contract.
Parks and city staff advised the council that the consultant’s scope is to develop a parks and recreation plan and that policy determinations about a greenbelt or comprehensive‑plan land‑use changes are matters for the comprehensive‑planning process and public vetting. Staff said the planning and parks processes could consider the DOE reservation lands during public input, but they recommended against contract language that would prescribe the consultant’s final recommendations in advance.
Council member Hensley withdrew the motion and asked that the topic be scheduled for further discussion in a work session; staff and other council members agreed that the broader question of the city’s approach to DOE reservation lands and possible greenbelt protections should be addressed in planning or work‑session settings. The contract with McGill Associates was approved by the council with the vote recorded as unanimous (6–0 at the vote recorded in the transcript).
Why it matters: The contract starts a public process to update the city’s parks and recreation priorities. The exchange highlighted an ongoing council interest in the large DOE reservation lands within the city limits and disagreement about whether a directive about land transfers or overlays should be included in a consultant contract rather than vetted in the comprehensive‑planning process.
