McDonald Farm

Land Plan and Engineering Report
Croy’s design team developed a preliminary land plan and engineering report for the redevelopment of the 2,100-acre farm in north Hamilton County, Tenn. The project required extensive coordination with the owner, Norfolk Southern Railroad representatives, and utility providers.

The land plan included multiple proposed uses, including industrial, commercial, and residential areas, historic preservation, park land, shared-use trails, and open space. The engineering report evaluated existing available utility services to support the redevelopment and identified utility upgrades that may be necessary to support the proposed uses. Our Croy team also developed high-level estimated costs for improvements to support implementation of the proposed preliminary land plan. The farm property had been held by the family for more than 100 years, and deed descriptions for property monumentation were limited.

An extensive water model was created to provide a phased approach for installing water utilities to provide the new industrial park with water over time. The water model determined approximately 22,000 linear feet of 12-inch waterline was required to supply domestic water supply for the farm, including 7,400 linear feet of existing NWUD 6-inch waterlines to 12-inch upgrades. In the phase approach, it was determined that a looped system would be required to prohibit long dead-end waterlines and lower water age. Once industries begin building in the area, a water storage tank would be required to provide enough water to fill fire suppression tanks at each site within 24-hours.

Lastly, it was recommended to provide an additional 13,000 linear feet of 8-inch waterline to make a redundant connection to Dayton’s water system. Preliminary plans were designed to meet the requirements of installing utilities within the TDOT State Route 27 and designed to meet the design standards of North West Utility District and the County.

Surveying
In addition, the firm successfully completed an ALTA survey for the tract. Croy’s surveying team was responsible for the research, fieldwork, data collection, boundary retracement, and ultimately, the final ALTA survey. This effort included interpreting deeds, plats, and recorded documents from the 1800s to current day, as well as interpreting and applying proper boundary retracement law to property lines that had been occupied by the McDonald Farm for more than 200 years.

This effort also included addressing commitment letter concerns from all interested parties in order to satisfy the requirements of the ALTA NSPS Land Title Insurance Policy, which included deeds, plats, and agreements over the life of the farm and surrounding owners. The ALTA survey was ultimately completed in less than three months and performed under budget.

Finally, Croy was recognized by the Tennessee Chapter of Engineering Companies of Tennessee (ACEC Tennessee) as an Engineering Excellence Honor Award winner in the Surveying & Mapping Technology category for the work done at McDonald Farm.