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Sugarwood Drive preliminary design approved; property owner urges fair compensation
Summary
The board approved a $75,200 preliminary design contract with Barge Design Solutions for a Sugarwood Drive connection to Kingston Pike. A nearby property owner told the board the parcel has recent contracts and asked for fair compensation; staff said appraisals and owner conversations will follow.
The Town of Farragut approved preliminary-design work for the proposed Sugarwood Drive connector on Nov. 13, contracting Barge Design Solutions for a lump-sum fee of $75,200 with a May 31, 2026, deliverable.
Staff said the design now focuses on a single alternate route that would pass through a vacant property north of Saint Elizabeth's Episcopal Church and tie into Kingston Pike at Smith Road. The board voted to proceed with preliminary designs after staff described outreach with Sugarwood residents and a meeting with church leaders, who expressed concern about impacts to parking and an on-site community garden.
Property owner and developer Alex Schubert addressed the board during citizen comment, telling the board he and his brother own the parcel and that it is not a "dead piece of property." He said he holds two recent contracts that value the land at $575,000 and asked the town to ensure "fair compensation" if acquisition is required. Schubert said potential buyers were "scared off" by the development constraints but otherwise cited multiple offers in recent years.
Engineering and planning staff said the town will pursue appraisals and meet with property owners before any acquisition steps. Aldermen and staff emphasized the preliminary nature of the design work and said final alignment, right-of-way needs and potential mitigation (parking, access) will be evaluated in the design process.
Next steps: Barge will develop preliminary plans and return to the board for review; staff will obtain market appraisals and continue stakeholder meetings to refine the route and impacts.
