Sen. Lamar Alexander, Ruby Tuesday's Sandy Beall, and Pilot Oil Corp.'s Jim Haslam have purchased 5000 acres near Townsend and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for $19 million.

According to this Maryville Daily Times article [1], most of the property will be set aside for conservation, although some "low-density development" is planned by another parter in the deal, Knoxville developer Walt Lane.

The property is near Blackberry Farms. Sandy Beall says his son, who runs Blackberry Farms, will manage the new property in a similar manner.