Emily Woodle, City of Knoxville Community Development project specialist, left, and Jim Dickson, YMCA of East Tennessee president and chief executive officer, help rank top regional issues during a PlanET forum Thursday.
Their mission challenged by protesters, several dozen regional leaders who met in Oak Ridge on Thursday said poor air quality, drug abuse, and the large number of low-skilled jobs are among the issues that ought to be addressed as a new five-county plan is developed.
Other top-priority issues include improving regional school quality, reducing the obesity rate, and providing access to affordable housing and more transportation alternatives.
Knoxville resident Kevin Desmond protests outside a PlanET meeting at Flatwater Grill on Thursday.
Thursday’s forum was organized by PlanET, and about 75 people attended, including an estimated 30 protesters inside and more outside. The protesters were concerned about property rights and wanted to know, specifically, what PlanET might propose.
Some also tied the planning process to Agenda 21, a United Nations resolution passed in 1992 that was designed to encourage nations to use fewer resources and conserve open land by steering development to already dense areas.
“Plan East Tennessee is working in five counties— Blount, Knox, Loudon, Union, and Anderson—to come to a community agreed-upon consensus to eliminate private property rights,” one protester wrote in a letter forwarded to Oak Ridge Today. “This is part of the United Nations’ Agenda 21 plan.”
“Plan ET’s definition of community input is neutralization of any expressed opposition to their plans of eliminating private property ownership under the guise of Smart Growth,” another letter read. “Their community consensus is scripted for their pre-determined outcome.“
Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan met with a few protesters outside Thursday’s forum to explain his view of PlanET, emphasizing the need for regional cooperation.
“You’ve got to have those relationships,” Beehan said.
Rob Kerns, who led the forum discussion, said regions are competing with one another.
“That’s really what this is about,†said Kerns, who works for Wallace Roberts and Todd, a planning and design firm based in Philadelphia that was hired to run the project.
PlanET forums continue next week in the five participating counties: Anderson, Blount, Loudon, Knox, and Union. The Anderson County forum is at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Anderson County High School, located at 130 Maverick Circle.
The two-hour forums will focus on five areas of long-term livability: jobs, housing, transportation, a clean environment, and community health.
Officials are completing the first phase of the three-phase planning process, which began last year.
Donaldson
PlanET is funded with help from a $4.3 million U.S. Housing and Urban Development grant, and a finished product is due by Jan. 1, 2014, said Mark Donaldson, director of the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission, which is managing the three-year planning process.
The first phase was used to collect citizen input and identify common themes about regional assets and challenges. The second phase begins this summer.
“While PlanET’s Phase One process asked citizens, ‘Where are we now?’ as a region, Phase Two will ask, ’What kind of East Tennessee do we want future generations to inherit?’†Beehan said.
Kerns said the ultimate goal is to have a regional plan and implement it.
While acknowledging community challenges, Thursday’s forum—officially labeled a regional leadership dialogue—also recognized local assets, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, area history and Appalachian heritage, and natural beauty, including mountains, rivers, and open spaces.
The PlanET regional partnership seeks to develop a regional blueprint to guide future development and foster citizen involvement, among other things.
About 75 people participate in a PlanET forum at Flatwater Grill in Oak Ridge on Thursday.
Larry Ott says
I’m appalled that you could only spare one short paragraph of protesting remarks. This is really about excessive government control and loss of individual liberty. The media is doing a poor job of digging out the root reasoning for PlanET and informing the public. All of our individual rights and liberties are at stake here. We depend on people like you to broadcast the truth, not just publish what our elected officials have to say.
John Huotari says
Larry,
Thank you for your comment. We do have several letters regarding PlanET that I hope to post on Oak Ridge Today as soon as I figure out how to add an opinion section. (This is a relatively new site, and we are still adding features.)
What background information about PlanET do you think needs more explanation?
Thank you,
John
Brad says
There are many things which are of great concern to me about PlanET, but first I want to say I am for what they they say on the face of the plan about better schools, jobs, and environment. My problem is I researched more in depth to what is really going on. First I watched the videos with John Fernsler, Principal with WRT. I then googled Mr. Fernsler and read some of his documents. They have statements about encouraging high density population areas and making it harder for vehicles by encouraging walking and biking instead. Changing the city codes is used to achieve these goals. I found statements about houses regulated by codes to be harmonious in color to be appealing to the eye. I ask who’s eye will tell me what color to paint my house? There is also a push for “green energy” like solar cells with codes used to promote (force) individuals to do such. I then did a quick check on solar cells and the solar companies put a ROI at 10-15 years and independent companies at 25-30 years with cells only lasting 25 years. The more I read the more scared I got. There is all kinds os things about how you will landscape your yard, light polution in the sky at night, rainwater collection, adding more bike lanes and public transportation. The potential to loose rights is high along with more tax increases to pay for it all. Some are good ideas but all I see is dollar signs. Other things are just removing my rights as a property owner. I could list dozens of more concerns too. Please research it before you jump on the support wagon. Costs and liberties need to be looked at closely. By the way there is a bunch of stuff out there to teach the Councils how to rewrite the codes to achieve the agenda without appearing too overbearing initially but getting the job done in the long run. Big red flag there if you must be taught how to do it without being obvious. Just to clarify I only looked at websites tied with PlanET, Mr. Fernsler, and ICLEI. Not opinions of naysayers.
Thanks
Brad.
John Huotari says
Brad,
Thank you for your detailed comment. I will try to follow up on some of these concerns with PlanET representatives at the Tuesday forum at Anderson County High School in Clinton.
John
OakRidger says
There is always a balance between individual liberty/private property rights and solutions to community problems that require a collective effort. PlanET is an attempt at bringing together stakeholders in our 5 county region to have a regional conversation about the problems that face our community today, and some potential solutions that we could agree upon are worth pursuing in the future. Those that are concerned about their individual liberties being infringed upon should join the conversation, not shy away from it.
Responding in fear to the idea of TALKING about our collective problems is childish and near-sighted; participating in the conversation and voicing concerns in a rational and cogent way will improve the product from this effort and reflect a broader spectrum of East Tennessee’s diverse community. Protestors should put down their picket signs and join the discussion, not belittle and decry those that are working hard for a better future.
John Huotari says
Thank you, OakRidger, for your opinion from the “other side.”