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Residents urge Gatlinburg to tackle kudzu and consider buying lots to extend Greenway
Summary
At the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, two public commenters urged action on invasive-kudzu maintenance and asked the city to purchase three lots owned by Carol Musick—asking price $75,000—to create over a half-mile Greenway extension, which a resident said could raise nearby property values.
Public comment at the Gatlinburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting focused on neighborhood maintenance and a request to expand the city’s Greenway.
A resident who identified themselves only in the transcript praised the city’s existing property maintenance ordinance and asked the Board to increase support for citizens dealing with kudzu on private property, saying they had discussed the issue with planning staff.
Another resident, identified as Mike, described three rectangular lots owned by Carol Musick that run from Pine Drive to the Bruce Street–Glades Road intersection and urged the city to consider purchasing them to extend the Gatlinburg Greenway. “Her asking price is $75,000,” Mike said. He added that the parcel could provide “over one half mile of Greenway,” creating a roughly one-mile round trip for walkers, and said conversations with neighboring jurisdictions suggested local property values could increase “about 10 to 17%.”
Mike also said the owner would not lease or donate the land and preferred to sell. The petitioner suggested that if the city acquired the land it could apply for a marked crosswalk to improve safety and visibility for the trail.
The Board did not take immediate action on the request during the meeting. The public-comment speakers were given the three minutes allotted under the Board’s rules and staff indicated that follow-up questions from the public should be directed to the city manager’s office for response.
Next steps: the city has not recorded any agreement to negotiate or pursue purchase during the meeting record; any acquisition would require future staff analysis and formal authorization by the Board.
