KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Knox County Commission is considering whether to approve a plan that would guide how leaders make land use decisions for decades to come.
After months of discussion and planning, Advance Knox developed a plan that calls for some areas of the county to be developed. Some rural areas may be turned into residential zones marked by swaths of single-family homes. One family with acres of farmland is speaking out against the plan.
"It's heartbreaking to see the farmland developed," said Pamela Stoutt. "We want to preserve it and keep it the way it's supposed to be, but not dismiss growth."
Around seven years ago, she and her husband bought the land because she said she was in love with the open fields and with the science of agriculture. Since then, the family built Stoutt's Farm, located near Strawberry Plains Pike.
"To see the seed that you put in the ground, and a few weeks later, to see the end result — the product," she said. "It just, brings the city life, the busy-ness of the world, into the rural area."
She said she, and many other farmers, are not opposed to growth. However, they want county leaders to expand in smaller increments.
According to the proposed plan, residential development in rural areas would be limited to no more than two dwelling units per acre. The plan also aims to only allow development in rural areas where utilities and other infrastructure are already available and expandable.
Knox County Commissioners are expected to vote on the plan Monday. If approved, Knoxville and Farragut leaders would then consider it.