Give up the road: Alcoa to abandon a portion of street for Clayton Academy use – Maryville Daily Times

Alcoa is giving the thumbs up to a move that will see the city abandon a portion of road near private school property, closing it to public traffic for most of the day.

Alcoa planning commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to approve a request to abandon most of Alcoa Trail, a road that represents the only vehicle access to Clayton-Bradley Academy. The road will be abandoned from the roundabout on Clayton Road to just before a greenway parking area on Alcoa Trail.

The vote represented commissioners initial approval of the project, which will now be sent to the Alcoa Board of Commissioners for a first and second reading.

Engineers for the project said they hoped to start paving in the area in Spring of 2020 and finish in early summer, at which point the road would no longer belong to the city.

Abandoning the road has several implications, not only for the school, but for the city and residents in the area.

First, provided the project is approved by commission, the road will be closed to traffic from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The school plans to use automated gates which can be operated from inside the school or externally for emergency access.

Second, in order to provide ample space for vehicles especially EMS service vehicles to turn around before entering the Clayton-Bradley campus from Williams Mill Road which is just east of the area, Clayton entities plan to build a turnaround in the area, right before the east entrance.

Notes for the project show this is for when drivers attempt to make the connection to Williams Mill during the hours that the gate is closed.

From the citys standpoint, the portion of Alcoa Trail from Williams Mill to the bridge would be a dead end if it abandoned.

This is really a safety improvement, CEO of Alcoa-based C2Rl Engineering Chris Soro said in an interview after Thursdays meeting. This is really for the safety of the kids.

He said that the reason Clayton-Bradley is getting the road in the first place comes down to students and employees.

As basically the student population has grown and we have more drivers, theres going to be parking not only for them but also for special events ... and we want to make that a safe crossing across Alcoa Trail, he said.

Soro also pointed out that the area sees its fair share of non-school travel as well, explaining about 250 Clayton Homes employees use the road to get to and from work.

Thats why, when school lets out, we want to be able to open that gate and continue to make that movement, Soro said. Its the best of both worlds.

No money will change hands in the abandonment process, City Planner Jeremy Pearson confirmed in an interview after the meeting. But that doesnt mean its not going to be profitable for the city to lose the road.

We see it as, in a lot of cases, its part of a bigger project, Pearson said. Although it may be abandoning, going to those adjacent property owners, theres additional tax revenue being generated by the fact that its part of some redevelopment project.

Redevelopment looms large for the area.

Parcel data for land surrounding the academy shows it is owned by CHM Services Inc., the same entity that owns the Clayton Homes trademark. There is a 40-acre portion across Alcoa Trail and a smaller portion across Litter River which runs through the back of the school property.

Plans for construction in the area show a large parking lot to be built across the street from current campus buildings, but the land may see continued development in the future.

Pearson confirmed the city had conducted a traffic study when the idea of closing the road was first proposed in April of 2015, but pulled before it came to fruition.

Not everyone is anticipating the potential closing.

Christopher Lee Fuller who lives near the end of Alcoa Trail where it intersects with Williams Mill. He said he uses the road to get to town and had no idea that it may have been closing.

Does it affect his commute?

Not much, he said. But they have no need to block it off.

Two houses up the road, resident Robert Nichols agreed, but was resigned to the neighborhoods fate, noting that many things have been planned for the area recently, but not much has happened since the school was built. He said he uses the road sometimes, but shutting it during the day wouldnt make a large difference. He remembered times when the property where Clayton Homes and the school now stand were farmland.

Theyre going to do whatever theyre going to do, Nichols said. Its just whatever Clayton wants. I mean, hes the man with money. Were just peons out here.

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Give up the road: Alcoa to abandon a portion of street for Clayton Academy use - Maryville Daily Times

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