HRS Finalizes Eagle’s Landing Land Purchase

The Highlands Residential Services is concluding the $675,000 purchase of about 14 acres of Cookeville’s Eagle’s Landing property.

The land will be used to provide road access to the Hickory Valley Housing project on Buffalo Valley Road. Executive Director Dow Harris said the purchase will save the residential services time and money.

“We are not going to have to build a roadway on over past Oak Tree Towers now,” Harris said. “And go down some steep terrain, and it was very expensive logistically to get that road to access Hickory Valley site for the future.”

Harris said either a loop around Hickory Valley or a roadway straight through the housing complex are the two options being explored as of now. The 48 low income housing unit project is expected to break ground next spring.

“Now that the access to Hickory Valley has changed and they are probably not going to build that roadway, what can we do right now to maybe save some expense on that roadway,” Harris said. “Do we need that to be a dedicated street facility that would just loop around Hickory Valley. It is something we need to look into.”

The property is being bought through Walnut Village Inc., which the residential services operates. Because of this, a separate resolution was passed Thursday for the purchased to be signed off by Harris. Then, Walnut Village Inc. will donate the land for construction.

Harris said construction of Oak Tree Towers, a three story 50-unit midrise apartment complex on Buffalo Valley Road, is also going smoothly. Applications for elderly people to move in could become public as early as next summer.

“Everything is in place policy wise,” Harris said. “All of our documents are in place. So, it is just a matter of getting further along in construction. At an appropriate time, we will advertise and get that public.”