Questions, concerns circle new development at Shanghai

When a venture has come this far, Crafted Milestone “doesn’t back down”- T. Phillip Carlyle, chief manager of Crafted Milestone, LLC.

By SUSAN SHARP

CAMPBELL COUNTY, TN. (WLAF)- A proposed development in the Shanghai community has sparked controversy, with a significant amount of the community expressing strong opposition.

Plans for the development came to light last week at a Campbell County Planning Commission meeting when a variance request was made by T. Phillip Carlyle and Matt McQueen of Crafted Milestone, LLC, a development company, for a right of way (ROW) variance request for 40 feet instead of the required 50-foot ROW for a short section of road.

RIGHT OF WAY ISSUES

Developers Carlyle and McQueen said they planned to come to the planning commission at a later date with the proposed development plan, but the ROW request dictated an earlier appearance. The duo plans to build a subdivision on 525 acres near Shanghai Marina. The standard ROW is 50 feet when a subdivision is built, according to Rusty Orick, chairman of the Campbell County planning commission. Carlyle and McQueen are asked they be allowed a 40 ROW. The variance request is for the would-be subdivision entrance.

Several planning commission members said they had looked at the section of Shanghai Road in question and had concerns.

Their concern has spread though the community as residents have begun asking questions about infrastructure, roads and the general viability of a project slated for up to 600 homes.

Shanghai Road is a narrow, curvy road. (PHOTOS BY WLAF STAFF)

“It would not be worth the aggravation and tearing up people’s lives”-
Rusty Orick, third district county commissioner and chairman of the Campbell County Planning Commission

“Shanghai Road is a two-mile dead-end road that ends at Shanghai Marina with hazardous curves and blind spots. The entry of Shanghai Road at Demory Road shares the pavement with the Demory Mart’s little parking lot, which makes it a small, busy, and dangerous intersection even at the best of times,” said Rob Kerr, Demory resident. “Shanghai Road at its widest points can allow two normal sized vehicles to pass.”

Shanghai Road has a 30 foot right of way (ROW), according to county records. That means there is 30 feet of ground for the road and its ROW. Anything beyond 30 feet would be on privately owned property. In the event the road needed to be widened, it would be done within the ROW already in place, according to Carlyle. When asked by WLAF if the current ROW would provide enough space, Carlyle said he had “never experienced a situation where it didn’t.”

A traffic study that will factor all four seasons into the equation is slated to be conducted. It should be completed by the end of the year, he said. Crafted Milestone, LLC, the development company, will follow the recommendations made by the engineers who conduct the study.

“My understanding was the county would commission a traffic study,” Orick said. It would be completed by the county road department, he said. Orick shares the road concerns with citizens. “I don’t think it will,” Orick said of the capacity of the road to handle heavy traffic.

REACTIONS

“Growth is always a little bit tough-”
T. Phillip Carlyle, chief manager at Crafted Milestone

Campbell Countians have expressed displeasure at the proposed subdivision. Comments coming into WLAF were overwhelmingly opposed to it. Traffic and safety issues were cited as the main concerns while others had aesthetic worries.

Developers “understand the situation” and want to avoid any negative impact, according to Carlyle.  

They want to “reassure everyone they will do what’s needed” and hope to “be a part of the community.”

“Growth is always a little bit tough,” he said. “We still have a few hurdles.”

Weighing the benefits of a 600 home subdivision versus the disruption to the community, “It would not be worth the aggravation and tearing up people’s lives,” Orick said.

“As anyone can see, those of us who live on Shanghai Road, especially with children, already live on a road that has too many vehicles on it as it is,” Kerr said. “Possibly adding a significant number of vehicles is not only a non-feasible and illogical idea, it’s also clearly unsustainable and dangerous.”

“I hope the Campbell County Regional Planning Commission does its due diligence and realizes this is absolutely not logically feasible for Shanghai Road and its residents” he said.

THE DEVELOPMENT

The 525.4 acres has yet to change hands, according to Carlyle. “We are in the due diligence period with the owners,” he said. The owner is Russ Woods Cove, LLC, according to county property records. The LLC is registered to a LaFollette address and was formed in May 2014, opengovus.com said.

“A lot of things were put in place years and years ago” by the current owner’s family in preparation for a planned development, he said.

Crafted Milestone has been working on this project for almost two years, according to Carlyle.

Carlyle declined to comment on the agreed sale price, but county tax records reported a market value of $11,649,700.

A “substantial deposit” has been put down on the property, Carlyle said. When a venture has come this far, Crafted Milestone “doesn’t back down,” he said.

Crafted Milestone is a development company with an office in Morristown. It has built several lakefront communities. Norris Lake was chosen for this project, tentatively named Elk Stone at Lake Norris, because this portion of the lake “performs the best,” Carlyle said.

Elk Stone at Lake Norris could hold up to 600 houses, but that would be a “worst case scenario,” Carlyle said. “It will most likely be much less.”

The luxury development could have either individual septic systems or a larger contained system on the property. Each home will be constructed on site with no modular homes being allowed. A homeowners association (HOA) will be put in place. Homes could range from 1,400 to 6,000 square feet depending on how the land is parceled out, according to Carlyle.

Bringing the development to fruition would be “incremental” and occur over three to five phases. But the company would “love to start by spring.”

“A lot of factors are unknown,” he said.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The cost of any work completed to facilitate the project would be an issue between Crafted Milestone and Campbell County. As to who would bear those costs, the direct financial impact for the developer and the county would be considered and “who benefits the most” will pay the bill, Carlyle said.

The 525 acres has no infrastructure. The beginning of work would be putting a water line place. It would start at the subdivision and run back to Demory Mart, Orick said. The going costs for one mile of water line is about $1 million, according to Orick. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED 10/20/2025-6AM)