Farragut's 70-Acre McFee Road Park Master Plan: What's Next

"In keeping with Land and Water Conservation Fund grant required timelines," Parks and Recreation director Ron Oestreich told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in May, "the Town of Farragut is seeking a qualified firm to work closely with the Town, residents and stakeholders on a master plan for the 70-acre Town-owned property at the corner of McFee and Boyd Station roads."

The key words are "grant required timelines." Most park projects in Farragut have moved at the pace of donations, matching funds and bids, and that usually means years. The 70 acres on McFee Road are on a deadline. Under the federal grant, construction of recreation facilities must begin by 2027. That deadline explains why some parts of the park are already decided, why most of it is still open, and why the neighborhood meeting on Oct. 20 matters more than its one-hour slot suggests.

The Land Behind the Fence Line

The property sits at the northwest corner of McFee Road and Boyd Station Road and crosses the line between Knox and Loudon counties. The owner donated 15 of the 70 acres. The Town bought the rest in 2023 for $5.5 million, Farragut Press reported.

In 2025 the Town won a $2.75 million federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for the park. That is exactly half the purchase price, and the match is deliberate. WBIR reported that the grant was a 50 percent match of the total purchase price, according to the Town. The Town's own solicitation for the master plan lists a lower figure of $2.5 million and gives 2024 as the acquisition year. The local news reports and the 50 percent match both point to the higher number. Whichever figure is right, the grant comes with the same requirement. The money pays for a park, and the park has to start going in the ground soon.

How Long Farragut Park Projects Usually Take

Two projects within a few miles of this site show the usual pace.

The new dog park at McFee Park started with a $25,000 Tennessee Dog Park Dash Grant from the Boyd Foundation in 2022. More money came from a $2.73 million State Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant awarded in late 2023. That grant required a 50 percent match and also covers synthetic turf replacement at Mayor Bob Leonard Park, ADA pathway upgrades, sand volleyball renovations and a new restroom. On Jan. 8, 2026, the Board approved a low bid of $562,000 from Fuel Tank Maintenance Company. With a $37,000 landscaping alternate and two fill-dirt allowances, the total came to $637,250, and staff added a 5 percent contingency on top. Ground was broken by March. From the first grant to construction took about four years.

Red Mill Dam has taken longer. An anonymous donor gave the Town a 6.43-acre parcel that includes the dam in August 2020. It sits on the west side of Concord Road, just north of Turkey Creek Road. In March 2026 the access project was still in design. Plans call for a 10-stall parking lot and a paved path to an overlook, and the Town scheduled completion for this fall.

Nothing was wrong with either project. That is how grant-funded parks normally move: one funding source arrives, then the match, then design, then bids. The 70-acre park doesn't have that kind of time. The federal grant came in 2025 and construction has to start by 2027, and the master plan has to fit inside that window.

What the Plan Already Requires, and What's Still Open

The Board hired Tunnel-Spangler & Associates, known as TSW, on May 14, 2026, under a professional services agreement worth $134,340. Twelve firms applied. Oestreich said the selection committee chose TSW unanimously, citing the firm's "inherent knowledge of our local needs" and its earlier work with the Town. The fee includes $98,180 for planning plus renderings, a topographic survey and an operational assessment. Oestreich said the total came in $15,660 under budget.

The grant rules have already decided some of the park's components. Oestreich said the plan has to include a roundabout entrance off McFee and Boyd Station roads, internal roads, parking, routes for walking and biking, and at least one permanent restroom, all "consistent with Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation grant requirements." The rest of the 70 acres is still open.

The right-hand column comes from the Town's request for qualifications, which gives these as examples of possible activity areas. None of them is confirmed. The same document asks TSW to draw several alternatives with different arrangements of access roads, roundabout, parking, trails, facilities and open space. The grant decides which pieces the park has to have. It doesn't decide where they go.

Where the Schedule Puts Oct. 20

The RFQ sets an order of work that runs about six months after the Town issues TSW a notice to proceed:

1. Months two and three: initial public input and analysis of existing conditions.
2. Months five and six: a preferred plan and draft report.
3. One to two months after Town review: final plan and presentations.

Construction design documents are outside this contract. The master plan sets the layout and the program. Detailed engineering comes later.

The public part started on Aug. 24, 2026, with a 5:30 p.m. kickoff in the Farragut Community Center Assembly Room. That meeting combined the park master plan with the update of the Town's Comprehensive Land Use Plan, which TSW is also handling.

The next meeting is the 70 Acre Park Master Plan Neighborhood Input Meeting, set for Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Great Lawn Pavilion. As of this writing, the Town's agenda portal had not posted an agenda for it. The meeting falls in the input-gathering stage, after the kickoff and ahead of the preferred-plan stage in the RFQ schedule. If the park is going to include a specific kind of field, trail or natural area, this is when the layout can still be arranged around it.

The Meeting Is at McFee Park on Purpose

The Great Lawn Pavilion is at McFee Park, 917 McFee Road. It isn't on the new site. Holding the meeting there puts it in the park whose regular users live closest to the new land, in a park that is itself in the middle of a building phase.

On the west side of McFee Park, the dog park is going in between the newest parking lot and the adaptive trail. The plans call for separate areas for large and small dogs, vinyl fencing, ADA-rated aggregate paths and landscaping, with retaining walls in the small-dog area because of the slope. The Town's March update said the dog park would also have play equipment and was expected to be finished this summer. It said the parking lot that opened last fall serves both the dog park and the bike trail, and that a shared restroom was expected this fall. In June 2026, the Town's permit report recorded a permit issued June 26 for the dog-park restroom, with Skilled Services Quality Construction LLC as contractor. No source found for this post confirms that the dog park has opened. If you're planning a visit, the Parks and Recreation department can tell you its current status.

The McFee splash pad is seasonal and generally runs from early May through late September, according to the Town FAQ, so it will probably be closed by the time the meeting starts.

What the Grant Clock Means for the Next Year

Oestreich has described the master plan's job broadly. "The master plan will guide future development, preservation, phasing and programming of the park," he said, "ensuring compliance with TDEC standards, local regulations and community priorities." He named phasing and preservation along with development, so a plan that saves room for later phases or keeps parts of the land natural would fit within the scope.

Two facts shape the 70 acres more than anything else. Construction has to begin by 2027. And the grant already requires the roundabout, roads, parking, walking and biking routes, and a permanent restroom. Most of what neighbors will notice day to day, like what you can do on the site and how much of it stays natural, is still open in the plan due over the coming months. The Oct. 20 meeting at the Great Lawn Pavilion is the next scheduled time to weigh in.

If you own a home near McFee Road or Boyd Station Road and want to know where your property stands as this part of Farragut changes, Seth Jenkins can walk you through it with the same local detail. Get your free home valuation, and we'll keep you updated as the park plan moves from draft to construction.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.