Autumn has arrived and our old hickory tree losing it's leaves.
We are left with a stunningly ugly view of Grace Point's (the Walmart Church) blacktopped parking lot with 30' lights glaring where once we gazed upon a beautiful meadow, pond and abundunt wildlife.
Nice for a church to be so thoughtful of it's neighbors, huh?
Though Grace Point Church member/developer, Richard Johnson, gave his assurance he would replace our nineteen trees which they bulldozed, he has yet to live up to his word.
Yesterday we installed $3000 worth of drapery in order to completely obscure what once was a beautiful view from our home.
The city of Franklin should compensate my husband and I. It's not just the view, it's the increased traffic, the noise, the damage to our property value and the loss of sanctuary. It is horrific what they've done to us.
The once beloved large deck to the rear of our house now unusable unless you want to listen to the roar of the church's air conditioning units. When will they build a wall? When will the trees be replanted, Richard Johnson?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Meeting at City Hall
On Monday May 18th, 2009 a meeting was held at the City Hall.
In attendance were the disgruntled neighbors of Country Road.
They were heard by city folks including Alderman Beverly Burger, Micah Wood, Franklin’s traffic engineer, Carl Baughman. The meeting was overseen by Vernon Gerth who was terse but fair and even handed in managing the seething crowd.
Grace Point attendees included executive pastor, Mark Borders, Gracepoint pastor, Stan Mitchell and wife (first time I'd ever seen/met them) church member, Paul Richie and developer/church member, Richard Johnson, who has acted as a intermediary throughout this project.
What happened at the meeting was this; Gracepoint realized they’d rode roughshod without having fully recognized the impact to, or the alienating effect this would have upon their neighbors.
The City recognized the decision to bring traffic up Country Road was based on a poorly written access ordinance.
8.1.5 (1)a
“Access to a corner lot fronting on an arterial street, and bordered by a collector or local street, shall be required to have access only from the collector or local street.”
1. Grace Point Church is not a corner lot.
2. The ordinance presumes the local/collector street is a through street not a
cul-de-sac.
Naturally, you intelligent readers realize that a through street would have additional outlets which would serve to calm traffic. Country Road has only one outlet directly onto Franklin Road less than 100 feet from where Grace Point's office entrance sits.
Presently, in order for Grace Point Church members to get from the church (which sits at the BACK of the property) to their offices (located at the FRONT of the property facing Franklin Road) they have to exit the church through our neighborhood turn left, make a left hand turn onto Franklin Road, another left hand turn off of Franklin Road to re-enter their property from the front. This causes a traffic jam on Country Road as well as Franklin Road.
Yes, the City Planning committee mandated this plan! Grace Point developers were forced to spend over $300,000 to widen Franklin Road and the mouth of Country Road and they've now exhausted their funds.
The city suggested they submit a new plan hoping the planning committee will
see the light and consider a variance that would allow the Church to utilize its original entrance.
Maybe a sign on Franklin Road that says "Slow. Hidden driveway"?
~ Kittra
In attendance were the disgruntled neighbors of Country Road.
They were heard by city folks including Alderman Beverly Burger, Micah Wood, Franklin’s traffic engineer, Carl Baughman. The meeting was overseen by Vernon Gerth who was terse but fair and even handed in managing the seething crowd.
Grace Point attendees included executive pastor, Mark Borders, Gracepoint pastor, Stan Mitchell and wife (first time I'd ever seen/met them) church member, Paul Richie and developer/church member, Richard Johnson, who has acted as a intermediary throughout this project.
What happened at the meeting was this; Gracepoint realized they’d rode roughshod without having fully recognized the impact to, or the alienating effect this would have upon their neighbors.
The City recognized the decision to bring traffic up Country Road was based on a poorly written access ordinance.
8.1.5 (1)a
“Access to a corner lot fronting on an arterial street, and bordered by a collector or local street, shall be required to have access only from the collector or local street.”
1. Grace Point Church is not a corner lot.
2. The ordinance presumes the local/collector street is a through street not a
cul-de-sac.
Naturally, you intelligent readers realize that a through street would have additional outlets which would serve to calm traffic. Country Road has only one outlet directly onto Franklin Road less than 100 feet from where Grace Point's office entrance sits.
Presently, in order for Grace Point Church members to get from the church (which sits at the BACK of the property) to their offices (located at the FRONT of the property facing Franklin Road) they have to exit the church through our neighborhood turn left, make a left hand turn onto Franklin Road, another left hand turn off of Franklin Road to re-enter their property from the front. This causes a traffic jam on Country Road as well as Franklin Road.
Yes, the City Planning committee mandated this plan! Grace Point developers were forced to spend over $300,000 to widen Franklin Road and the mouth of Country Road and they've now exhausted their funds.
The city suggested they submit a new plan hoping the planning committee will
see the light and consider a variance that would allow the Church to utilize its original entrance.
Maybe a sign on Franklin Road that says "Slow. Hidden driveway"?
~ Kittra
Friday, April 17, 2009
Restore Our Sanctuary
I sent this photo to Alderman Beverly Burger, J. Johnson, Jamie Groce and several other people a few years ago in an effort to illustrate how simple it would be to put a traffic light where the entrances to the two churches align rather than routing traffic up Country Road.
My husband and I talked face-to-face with Jamie Groce who told us, "It would be too expensive for the Grace Point developers to bridge the creek." But, the exisiting entrance on Franklin Road to their property had been in use for at least 30 years. What's the problem?
Odd that GracePoint developers managed to come up with $450,000 to widen the mouth of Country Road. Both Jamie and Alderman Burger told us Clear View Baptist would be forced to close their entrance/exit onto Franklin Road
and align their new entrance/exit to Country Road.
Clear View Baptist's construction is now completed. (It looks great.) They didn't move their entrance.
Does anyone else smell that fishy smell? Yeah, that smell of buddy deals and kick-backs.
I think it's time for a class action law suit against the city. We neighbors would like our sanctuary restored.
The ruining of our neighborhood
Click on this photo for better viewing. This photo, taken from the parking lot of Clearview Baptist Church, was sent to our Alderman, Beverly Burger,on or about Tuesday, December 26, 2006. We neighbors suggested (hoped for, PRAYED!) that the traffic light be placed here, where the entrances to the two churches sit, rather than funneling traffic up Country Road into our formerly quiet neighborhood.
Franklin Road Church entrances
This photo shows the (decades old)deeded entrance into the Grace Point church property from Franklin Road. Grace Point's entrance sits directly across the road from Clear View baptist church's entrance. The City of Franklin would not allow Grace Point to utilize it's deeded entrance at Franklin Road but forced traffic to be routed up our once quiet little cul-de-sac, Country Road.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
