TVA to divest Locketsville Road parcel, residents urge county protections

At the March 9 workshop, resident George Wade reported that the Tennessee Valley Authority announced it would divest the Locketsville Road property and said citizen advocacy helped secure the board decision.

Wade recounted a March 3 phone call in which, he said, an intermediary told him the TVA board had approved divestiture. He recommended the county pursue permanent protections — a conservation easement, a park designation, or transfer to a conservancy organization — and warned that federal condemnation law could allow TVA to reacquire land in some circumstances.

County staff and the mayor said they were exploring options and that an auction remained a possible outcome, but that other protective options were under review. Commissioners discussed land trusts and conservation easements as ways to make the parcel less likely to be seized, while noting that only changes at the federal level would completely remove TVA’s statutory authority.

Why it matters: The Locketsville Road parcel has been the focus of long-running citizen concerns; divestiture opens a narrow window for local protections but county officials said some federal risks remain.

What’s next: County staff and the county attorney said they are reviewing options, and the mayor indicated discussions were continuing about the best legal mechanism to protect the site.