TVA wants feedback on proposal

A proposal by Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors to protect the utility's lands from commercial development is prompting residents to make telephone calls and send e-mails, faxes and letters.

The agency is collecting comments about a plan to place severe restrictions on development of the 293,000 acres TVA owns around the Tennessee Valley.

Private residential developments would not be allowed. Some new industrial development and marinas would be allowed on TVA land already designated for those uses.

Housing developments on private land along TVA lakes would not be affected.

TVA spokesman John Moulton said that approximately 200 comments about the new land management policy have been submitted since the comment period began Oct. 2.

TVA officials expect a flurry of responses as the deadline nears.

Moulton said responses are varied. "There has been a broad range of opinions, ranging from full endorsement of the policy as it is proposed to full opposition of it."

The comments have come from throughout the seven-state TVA region, he said. The TVA board will vote on the proposal Nov. 30.

In the past, TVA has used an informal policy for handling requests for developments on its property. Two housing developments that were permitted on TVA lakes in Tennessee generated many debates.

Some developers and elected officials have lamented the new land management proposal, contending it could stymie economic development in the Tennessee Valley.

Environmentalists have praised the plan, calling it vital to protecting public land for future generations.

Vince Meleski, a program manager for Moulton-based Wild South, said the conservation organization is encouraging its members to send comments to TVA supporting the proposal.

Among those opposed to the proposal is the city of Florence.

If the proposal is adopted, it would halt a plan for a shopping complex at Veterans Park, possibly anchored by a Bass Pro Shops store. The proposal would prohibit TVA land that's designated for recreational use, including Veterans Park, from being used for commercial development.

"We will make our position known to TVA, no doubt about it," said Florence Mayor Bobby Irons.

Florence officials have not discussed options for attracting a new shopping development if TVA nixes the plan to develop Veterans Park. "We have not even thought about a Plan B because we were led to believe what we were doing with Veterans Park would work," Irons said.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.