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Alcoa parents voice concern over upcoming Costco, hotel and distillery near schools, fearing impact on student safety and community character.

ALCOA, Tenn. — The sights and sounds of construction are common in Alcoa these days, as the city works to expand its Springbrook Farm development.

Parents tell 10News they aren't happy with what's to come in the area, specifically a Costco, hotel and distillery that is set to be built close to the campus of Alcoa City Schools.

Opening dates for the three businesses have not been announced.

People spoke out about the new businesses coming to the development at a city meeting this week.

"The community just assumed what was being developed was going to include some commercial properties, just not right next to the schools," said parent Tiffany Birge.

Birge said she likes Costco as a business, but doesn't want a location near her kids' schools.

Alcoa City Commissioners told 10News in a statement that they recognize parents are concerned about the new tenants coming to the area.

The statement said, in part, that commissioners appreciate that people involved with Alcoa City Schools have voiced their concerns about traffic and student safety in the area.

The City of Alcoa, in a Facebook post, acknowledged that some parents were worried about student safety, since a hotel was being built in the area, and said it is taking that concern into consideration.

The post said that a hotel was always in the plans for the area.

It also said, in the Facebook post, that a traffic signal will be put in at the corner of Tesla Boulevard and Faraday Street, to help with traffic flow.

The statement from commissioners reads, in part:

"The Commission is committed to working with the ACS (Alcoa City Schools) Board to evaluate the feedback received tonight to determine future actionable changes regarding improvement of city operations, infrastructure, and development. The City Commission is thankful for the citizens who showed up tonight and provided input, and we will continue to work with city staff and the ACS Board on actionable items that address these issues."

Birge said that when she sees a difference between the city's master plan for the area and the decision to put a big-box retailer like Costco in a development that was planned to include green space and businesses like restaurants.

"The impression is that what is being built includes all that green space, but we're not seeing that," she said. "I'm not sure where that disconnect was, what we told or believed is very different than what's taking place."

Birge said she and other parents want to protect the Alcoa they know and love.

"Alcoa is a special place, it's a special community, we've got a unique layout with our schools where it's a campus, and it draws a good community sense, and we want to protect that," she said.

Another concerned parent, Elizabeth Klatt, told 10News off-camera that from her viewpoint, Springbrook Farm was presented as a small-scale development, but is now starting to resemble Turkey Creek, a large mixed-use development in Knox County.

Klatt said that the development highlights the need for a sports complex in Alcoa.

"Our kids use this area as a track, since Alcoa does not have its own," Klatt told 10News. "A dedicated multi-sport facility would not only provide students with the safe, appropriate spaces they deserve, but also bring visiting teams whose families would support nearby local businesses."

Klatt said she's asking commissions to reconsider the direction of the development and "prioritize a vision that truly reflects what Alcoa families were promised."

ALCOA, Tenn. (WVLT) - The City of Alcoa is set to open a Costco and a Holiday Inn, and while some people are excited for the additions, others are concerned about all the extra traffic.

The city said roads in the development area, known as Spring Brook Farm, already has pre-designed roads to help ease with traffic flow.

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“One of the most important points is that traffic control isn’t something being added later — it’s already built into the current roadway design," the city’s Facebook page states.

However, some residents took to social media to express their concerns, including parents who are worried about the extra traffic near Alcoa Middle and Alcoa High, which are just down the road from the development.

“I love Costco in general. I love all the bulk products, and I’m glad it’s going to be over here because it’s already like a 40 minute drive, and it’s going to be a lot easier,” Kelsie Peabody said.

Tesla Boulevard is meant to be the main road for people to use to access Alcoa Highway, and the city wants people to use this road to get to and from the plaza instead of using the roads through the school areas.

“The roadway network through these corridors has been deliberately downsized to discourage traffic and reduce the feeling of a pass-through zone. Primary commercial streets are built to carry traffic, while secondary roads are one lane in each direction, which naturally lowers traffic volumes and speeds and supports a more formal “campus” feeling around the school," the city continued.

“Depending on where the road comes in and out of Costco, I don’t see a big problem with the high school traffic,” Sheila Almond, a local resident, said.

The city said Costco is working with them to delay their opening times for school drop offs. Additionally, they will add a traffic light at Tesla Boulevard and Faraday Street, according their Facebook post.

The City of Alcoa held a commissioner’s meeting Tuesday night to hear public opinion.

The Alcoa Board of Commissioners took some heat Tuesday from constituents upset over developments near the Alcoa schools, particularly regarding a proposed hotel and Costco.

Within the last few weeks, developers across the road from Alcoa High School, 524 Faraday St., began posting signs advertising a new Holiday Inn Express set to open near the corner of Marconi and Tesla Boulevard. First reported on by The Daily Times in December of 2024, planning commissioners last reviewed site plans for the development in June, and City Manager Bruce Applegate told city officials the same month that land development would likely begin within the next 12 to 24 months.

Many residents who spoke Tuesday, said they hadn’t realized just how close to the schools the new hotel would actually be until signs started going up.

“From my room, I can see the hotel, and I fear that there will be people at that hotel who can see our student population and, considering that safety is such a massive factor that we deal with in schools these days, that gives me a lot of angst if I’m being honest,” said Amy Williams, an Alcoa High School alumnus and teacher.

Williams wasn’t the only teacher to bring up concerns about the proximity. Keenan Sudderth, also an Alcoa alumnus and teacher, confirmed he, too, can see the hotel development from his classroom.

“A hotel is not a passive neighbor. It brings transient populations, unfamiliar traffic patterns and increased movement at unpredictable times of the day — all within steps of where our children walk, learn and play,” said Sudderth. “Schools are supposed to be protected environments, and zoning within those should buffer them, not expose them.”

Sudderth acknowledged that his and others’ concerns may have come “too late in the game” but took issue as well with the manner in which the board had conducted itself.

“Many times I’ve heard people and elected officials say that citizens kind of show up late to the game. Respectfully, I disagree. It is a game that’s often played in a venue we cannot access; we’re invited to attend commission meetings, but sometimes they occur at this hour of night, when many of us are coaching teams, helping our kids with homework, working second jobs or sitting in the bleachers supporting our community. Participation should not require the sacrifice of family responsibilities.”

He and several other speakers called for increased transparency and accessibility from the board and other local governmental bodies, suggesting the city look into implementing a livestream option or record and post meetings online.

Other speakers, including a group of AHS students, voiced concerns about the proposed Costco development’s impact on traffic, safety and noise levels.

“One of our concerns is that we’ve heard that this Costco will be taking part of our practice field that we use throughout the week,” said Micah Larson, a band lieutenant and junior at AHS. “For us, that’s our space. We really appreciate that space, and the dislocation of that space will really affect how we’re going to be able to practice every day.”

Salvaging as much of the band’s practice field as possible, Applegate said, has been an ongoing project as city staff, school staff and development partners work through different grading proposals in the area which should also help alleviate some of the increased noise.

“The sad thing that I’m realizing is you have all these leaders in the community, and we’re just realizing this is happening, and that’s a problem,” said Tiffany Martin. “I’ll do my very best to be at the meetings from now on because, to be honest, it’s disappointing what all has come to light over the last week.”

Martin didn’t pass all the blame off onto commissioners, adding that she “should have been more involved” but hadn’t because she “trusted that our children would be looked after.”

Commissioners Josh Blair and Tracey Cooper later referred back to Martin’s and others’ comments on community safety, urging those gathered to believe that all decisions made by the board were made with the whole of Alcoa in mind.

“First off, I want to thank everyone for being out here tonight. I see a lot of familiar faces out there: there’s friends, there’s family, there’s people I’ve broke bread with in this room and people I’ve sweated with and froze to death at sporting events with,” said Blair. “This community has been very good to me and my family, and I want you all to understand, and I hope that you would never question, my commitment to the safety and the betterment of this community.”

Blair, who still has one child in the school system, called Alcoa Schools the city’s “crown jewel, and the reason I moved here 13 years ago.” He and Cooper later recognized the system at work, praising the high school students who came out to participate.

“I’m ecstatic to see these seats full; I’m even more ecstatic to see students here,” said Cooper. “And I want everyone in this room, everyone in Alcoa, to know that this board is always available to you. It is not hard to find us, and we will spend all the time you want listening and talking with you. We may not always agree, but I will always listen to you.”

The board passed all agenda items with unanimous consent, including the two items related to the Costco and Warner Avenue development. Legal counsel for the city added that development on the hotel would likely be difficult for the city to stop at this point and likely open them up to serious lawsuits.

The Board of Commissioners also released a statement on Wednesday, stating “The City Commission and City Manager’s Office are appreciative of the feedback received concerning topics on the Springbrook Farm development including traffic, speed of growth, and student safety. The Commission represents citizens across the community, and it is necessary that our residents who are passionate about our community and the Alcoa City School (ACS) system have a platform to share their input. The Commission is committed to working with the ACS Board to evaluate the feedback received tonight to determine future actionable changes regarding improvement of city operations, infrastructure, and development. The City Commission is thankful for the citizens who showed up tonight and provided input, and we will continue to work with city staff and the ACS Board on actionable items that address these issues.”

ALCOA, Tenn. (WVLT) - The City of Alcoa is set to open a Costco and a Holiday Inn, and while some people are excited for the additions, others are concerned about all the extra traffic.

The city said roads in the development area, known as Spring Brook Farm, already has pre-designed roads to help ease with traffic flow.

Previous Coverage:

“One of the most important points is that traffic control isn’t something being added later — it’s already built into the current roadway design," the city’s Facebook page states.

However, some residents took to social media to express their concerns, including parents who are worried about the extra traffic near Alcoa Middle and Alcoa High, which are just down the road from the development.

“I love Costco in general. I love all the bulk products, and I’m glad it’s going to be over here because it’s already like a 40 minute drive, and it’s going to be a lot easier,” Kelsie Peabody said.

Tesla Boulevard is meant to be the main road for people to use to access Alcoa Highway, and the city wants people to use this road to get to and from the plaza instead of using the roads through the school areas.

“The roadway network through these corridors has been deliberately downsized to discourage traffic and reduce the feeling of a pass-through zone. Primary commercial streets are built to carry traffic, while secondary roads are one lane in each direction, which naturally lowers traffic volumes and speeds and supports a more formal “campus” feeling around the school," the city continued.

“Depending on where the road comes in and out of Costco, I don’t see a big problem with the high school traffic,” Sheila Almond, a local resident, said.

The city said Costco is working with them to delay their opening times for school drop offs. Additionally, they will add a traffic light at Tesla Boulevard and Faraday Street, according their Facebook post.

The City of Alcoa held a commissioner’s meeting Tuesday night to hear public opinion.