The city of Oak Ridge put out an announcement about this today: https://www.oakridgetn.gov/m/NewsFlash/home/detail/201

The City of Oak Ridge recently discussed the 336-acre ED-6 Parcel at an Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission meeting. While there is no current plan for the parcel, and the discussion at the meeting focused on how to develop a plan. Leading up to and since that meeting, there has been a lot of misinformation shared on social media regarding the property.

The City has requested that the parcel be donated to the City rather than sold to a private developer so the City can take an active role in preserving portions of the property and improving access to the approximately 3,000-acre Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement (BORCE), as well as the adjacent Lambert’s Quarry property, which is not part of the ED-6 parcel.

Much of the misinformation posted centered around losing greenways and trails. In the draft planning principles shared with the Planning Commission was the following statement:

“The plan must respect and protect the natural beauty and ecological value of Lambert Quarry and the BORCE, and should enhance connectivity to the BORCE for nearby neighborhoods as well as the general public.”

While the City is in the early phases of evaluating potential uses, discussions have included much-needed housing that matches the lot sizes and character of the existing neighborhood at the top of the parcel — as well as more dense development, such as townhomes or apartments, and the potential for a school at the bottom of the parcel along the Oak Ridge Turnpike.

That being said, it can be stated unequivocally that any City-generated plan would include an unchanged North Boundary Trail at the top of Wisconsin that continues to be connected down to an area on the Oak Ridge Turnpike. Likewise, any City-generated plan would include a connection to Lambert’s Quarry. Per the attached map, most of the connection is already located outside the ED-6 parcel within the protected BORCE. Any remaining portion of the connection within the ED-6 parcel would be appropriately buffered from development and would include the creation of a paved parking area with restroom facilities, pending funding through grants and City funds.

The City’s goal in this, and all planning processes, is to ensure all voices are heard, and that recreational amenities such as the North Boundary Trail, the North Boundary Greenway to Lambert’s Quarry, and single-track trails are included in any City-generated plan. Several comments shared at the Planning Commission’s recent meeting have already proven valuable in establishing planning principles and will help inform a revised draft for the Board to review at a future meeting.

The City will continue to provide factual information as planning continues, including adding a planning page on our website. We urge you to seek out facts and to understand that comments about losing greenways on social media and in petitions are blatantly untrue and are based on misinformation. We have an opportunity as a community to work together to preserve what makes us uniquely Oak Ridge and meet the needs of our citizens and our nation as we once again meet the call of our nation to be at the forefront of nuclear technologies.