Image Credit: betsyhenderson.com & Canva.
Article by Olivia Lupia, Tennessee Conservative News –
A proposed luxury townhome development in South Knoxville has been officially withdrawn by the developers following Knox County Mayor Betsy Henderson’s veto of an agreement which would have provided a 50% tax abatement.
While several county commissioners indicated intentions to initiate a veto override, the motion will no longer be considered as Commission Chair Terry Hill announced during an agenda review meeting that developer DWF John Sevier LLC has chosen to withdraw its proposal.
Upon the developer’s pullback, Hill requested the override motion be removed from the agenda, calling it a “moot point” and criticizing the mayor’s communications preceding her veto, claiming some of the friction could have been avoided.
“I think that’s quite unfortunate that the decision was made so quickly because if people would have been talked with ahead of time…he would have withdrawn it before we went through all of this… I would really encourage in the future, it if comes to this point, that there is more openness and transparency and discussion between the mayor’s office and the parties that are directly involved in the veto,” Hill said.
But other commissioners celebrated the victory, noting the rarity of developers reversing course after citizen pushback and defending Henderson’s use of her first veto.
Commissioner Andy Fox, who represents the district where the development site was planned, said he “went to great lengths to bring the community’s reaction to this project to the developer’s attention,” including organizing community meetings and workshops.
“This is a first, for me certainly, to hear that a developer would be sensitive to community reaction,” he added. “I made it clear to the developer, his representative, where I stood on it, and where the community stood on it.”
And Commissioner Justin Cofer commended Henderson’s decision, saying she acted directly on constituent wishes. “The mayor did the veto because she answered the calls of the people,” Cofer said. “Commissioner Fox clearly was against this project. He represents his district, and I agree with him. I got all kinds of calls, emails against it. And clearly, the mayor listened to what the taxpayers were saying.”
He also refuted the idea that the veto was deliberately contentious or “out of spite”, believing Henderson acted to protect neighborhood interests.
With the developer officially withdrawn no further commission action is necessary, and the site remains undeveloped for the time being.
Sources:
TennesseeConservativeNews.com.
TennesseeConservativeNews.com.
WVLT.
WBIR.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Most “developers” are crooks.