Who doesn’t enjoy a good spring cleaning? It’s so satisfying to toss out clutter and make everything sparkle! The town of Farragut likes to clean up, too. Removing/renovating vacant and derelict buildings is a priority for town staff and elected officials, and it’s a year-round job.
Mayor Ron Williams is proud of how many commercial properties have been renovated since he took office in 2016. It’s been a group effort, he says.
“Over the last six years, it has definitely been a challenge to keep everything moving forward. It would not be possible without a great team of staff and volunteer boards and committees that have a vision to work together to make it all happen.”
Alderman Ron Pinchok agrees.
“From the day I was elected to the board, I have heard repeatedly that we need to clean up the vacant big box stores, especially those on Kingston Pike,” he says. “I’m happy to say that those and many others have been torn down or renovated with new tenants. These improvements have gone a long way toward making our town more appealing to our citizens and attracting future new businesses. This is a huge accomplishment and one that we should all be proud of.”
Here are a few examples of improvements that have been made to commercial/public properties in Farragut in recent years:
- The former Silver Spoon at Campbell Station Road and Kingston Pike was demolished and replaced by Farragut Gateway Center, home of Starbucks
- The Campbell Station Inn was renovated and the old dairy barn building was removed and replaced by Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza
- The former Ingles Shopping Center was renovated and leasing of the space is ongoing
- The Phillips 66 gas station at Campbell Station Road and Kingston Pike was demolished and replaced by Admirals Corner, home of 35 North
- The Weigel’s at Old Stage Hills was demolished and replaced by Three Roots Capital
- The BP gas station on Campbell Station Road was demolished and replaced by Tire Discounters
- The former millworks building behind Century 21 Legacy on Kingston Pike was demolished, cleared and brought up to grade
- A former service station was demolished and replaced by O’Reilly Auto Parts on Kingston Pike; an old billboard was removed as part of the property sale
- Old retail space on Kingston Pike was replaced with new (Elliotts, Dunkin’ and AFC Urgent Care)
- The former outlet mall on Outlet Drive was renovated to green status and has long-term tenants
- The former Kroger shopping center has been demolished and will be replaced by Biddle Farms (shopping, green space, apartments and townhomes)
- An older building on the property adjacent to Ag-Pro near Watt Road and Kingston Pike was razed a few weeks ago for a new Ag-Pro parking area.
These improvements represent a significant investment in the community. Business owners have invested more than $93 million into new business locations and more than $40 million into renovated business locations in Farragut since July of 2016.
Encouraging the removal/renovation of vacant and derelict commercial buildings is an important function of the town of Farragut. Removing unused structures keeps the community attractive and allows new businesses to come to town. It’s another thing that makes our beautiful town unique.
Town of Farragut marketing and public relations coordinator Wendy Smith is your reliable Farragut insider.