Land-use proposal approved

FLORENCE -- A policy adopted by Tennessee Valley Authority directors Thursday could land the federal utility in court over the future of Veterans Park.

The nine-member board voted 8-1 to adopt a new land management policy that protects the federal utility's public shoreline property from residential and commercial development.

Among the developments the policy would prohibit is a proposed shopping complex in Veterans Park anchored by a Bass Pro Shops store.

TVA owns the park that Florence operates under a permanent recreational easement.

The shopping complex is part of a development effort in partnership with Retirement Systems of Alabama that has already built a luxury hotel in Florence and two Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses in Colbert County.

David Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, contends the Veterans Park development was proposed before the new land use policy was adopted and should not be covered by the new rules.

"You can't entice someone into your area by saying you are going to do something and then change the rules," Bronner said.

TVA spokesman Gil Francis said TVA never received a formal request for allowing a retail development to be built at the park.

Florence Mayor Bobby Irons said the request was not made because details of the development have yet to be finalized. "TVA will not accept a request to transfer until you have a project to propose. We still don't have a project today."

Even without a formal request, TVA officials were aware of the plans for Veterans Park, Bronner said. "They were certainly knowledgeable. We will just let the litigators work it out if we decide to act on it."

Creating an attraction at Veterans Park was a cornerstone of the agreement among RSA, Florence and the Public Park Authority of the Shoals that led to the development of the hotel and golf courses, Shoals mayors and other community officials wrote in a letter to the TVA board opposing the new land policy.

Efforts to develop Veterans Park have prompted many debates in the Shoals. Proponents contend it will spark economic growth in the Shoals. Opponents argue the park that overlooks Wilson Dam is too scenic to become a shopping center.

Charles Rose, president of the Shoals Environmental Alliance, applauded the TVA decision. "This is great."

Rose, of Sheffield, has been a vocal critic of efforts to develop Veterans Park and other TVA public land around the Shoals.

The new policy affects some 293,000 acres of TVA land along the 652-mile Tennessee River and its tributaries. Some land would be exempt for industrial development and for water-based recreation such as marinas.

Irons said Florence officials might search for alternative developments for Veterans Park that would meet TVA's recreational criteria.

"We will continue to move forward to fulfill our agreement with RSA. But we may have our hands tied," Iron said.

Irons said the new plan would hurt economic development in the Shoals and across the Tennessee Valley.

Councilman Scott Carrier, a critic of the Veterans Park proposal, welcomed the new policy. "I'm happy; I think the right thing was done. We can have economic development and still protect our environment."

In Thursday's meeting, which was broadcast live on TVA's Web site, director Susan Williams said response from the public was overwhelming for protecting the utility's land from residential and commercial development.

Of the more than 5,000 comments TVA received about the proposal to protect its land, 92 percent supported the plan, she said. Another 4 percent supported the concept, but asked that the policy be more flexible. The remaining 4 percent were opposed.

Opponents, including elected officials and developers, argue the plan would hamper economic growth in the Tennessee Valley.

Instead of hampering growth, Williams said the policy would enhance it by ensuring public access to TVA's shoreline lands. "It balances the economic needs of the Valley with our desire to preserve some of our greatest assets for future enjoyment."

Former TVA Chairman Bill Baxter cast the lone opposing vote. He said the plan is too restrictive and will stymie growth in many communities around the Valley.

"This policy is less flexible than what we need to pursue TVA's core mission of economic development," Baxter said.

Colbert County Commissioner Rex Burleson, a member of the Public Parks Authority of the Shoals, is unsure how the group will fulfill the agreement with RSA to create an attraction at Veterans Park. "I guess we're back to square one now."

If Bronner chooses not to pursue the effort to develop Veterans Park, Burleson said $2 million earmarked for the project would be used to help pay off a bond issue used to entice RSA to build the golf course and hotel.

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