From homes to roads

Knox County residents can't find homes

Since 2001, Tennessee state code has required counties to create and submit a comprehensive growth plan. After three years, the plan can be amended. It should identify areas that are projected to grow or should be preserved over a 20-year period.

Officials say Knox County's growth isn’t sustainable without new planning rules. Residents say county development is disjointed and infrastructure is playing catch-up.

While public input is vital to Advance Knox, officials say engagement is not where it needs to be.

About 436 residents, or about 0.09% of the county's population, participated in the initiative's first round of public input. Those residents prioritized addressing traffic congestion, walkability and preserving greenspace.

Participants were mostly older, white and well-educated, with almost half of the participants making over $100,000 a year.

"Pay attention to your citizens," one participant commented. "Too much of Knoxville's planning is unbelievably disjointed and poor."

One Hardin Valley resident said the county didn't plan for the amount of traffic that came with the schools, businesses and houses built in the northwest Knox County area in the last decade.

A team of consultants, county planning staff, multiple committees and elected officials are working to address these and other issues with Advance Knox.

A new plan could make it easier for developers to build non-traditional homes, avoiding further sprawl across an already stretched county. The idea is to eliminate the need for residents to drive miles for essentials like grocery stores and schools.

In a video created by Future for Families Knox County, resident and long-term care nurse Jordyn Miller, 26, said a lack of housing and rising prices have forced her to house hunt in Blount and Loudon counties.

"I love living in Knoxville," she said in the video, "The only thing I don't like about being here is that I haven't been able to buy a house."

The median selling price of Knox County homes in July 2022 was $339,500, compared to $295,000 in July 2021, according to data from Realtor.com. That's an increase of more than 15%.

That lack of available housing is influencing jobs and the local economy. National gun manufacturer Smith and Wesson chose Blount County over Knox County for its availability of housing. It is bringing $125 million and more than 750 jobs to the area, and some of its employees are moving here.

Advance Knox will be a big change for Knox County's planning ordinances. But Jacobs said he hopes it won't drastically change Knox County's identity.

"I really hope it'll look like an area that still has something for everyone," Jacobs said. "I'm hoping that we'll see a couple things like a Northshore Town Center pop up, and then five minutes away from there you're back on farms. That's really the goal of this whole thing."

What happens without a new plan?

Jacobs said the current county planning guidelines are "archaic," restrict growth and make it tough to bring amenities like grocery stores and services to the heart of residential areas.

It would be a monumental task, for example, to replicate the Northshore Town Center hub in other parts of Knox County, bringing residences and stores like Target and Publix together.

Those hubs are needed as outer parts of the county fill with single-family residential and little else, forcing residents to drive miles to the grocery store, exacerbating traffic and quality of life issues.

Maribel Koella, director of NAI Koella | RM Moore and Advance Knox advisory committee member, said continuing development without a new plan will contribute to worsening traffic on highways and country roads.

"If we don't have a plan of where the development is going to go, then how do we plan and put our resources and money for, say, infrastructure?" Koella said.

Retirement-age adults are one of Knox County's fastest-growing age groups. However, the area has trouble retaining young talent, and that demographic has barely grown over the last decade.

A big part of keeping that young talent here, Jacobs said, is making sure companies with high-paying jobs have the green light to build and expand their businesses.

"We could see a scenario where our population actually starts to decline because businesses can't expand as they move someplace else," Jacobs said. "Or at least not grow to the extent that we would need them to."

How does it work?

The $1.2 million initiative, which is funded by county taxpayers, is led by design consultant firms Kimley-Horn in North Carolina and Ohio-based Planning NEXT.

Multiple consultants, committees and elected officials are playing a role, including the city of Knoxville and the town of Farragut.

The 18-month project is about seven months in.

After gathering more public input this fall, the committee will consider in October some scenarios that will try to predict what the county could look like in the future. One of those scenarios will be used to create an initial draft of the plan.

After more public input opportunities early next year, the final plan will be heard by the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission in 2023. The plan requires two readings by the Knox County Commission before voting on its adoption.

The city of Knoxville and the town of Farragut will participate in the initiative, but the final plan will apply only to the unincorporated parts of Knox County. Planning solutions may be proposed to both cities if appropriate.

The county doesn't need approval from Knoxville or Farragut to adopt the plan.

Does the public get a say?

Advance Knox is gathering community input now that will guide the final draft of the comprehensive plan.

The next round of public input will be held in October via workshops and online input forms. The public can submit a comment anytime on the Advance Knox website, advanceknox.org.

"(The public) should have greater input, and we should all participate in that planning because it does affect us and it's millions of dollars," said Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks and Advance Knox advisory committee member. "It's projects that are difficult to change after you do them."

Frazier said residents should think about what community looks like to them and use that vision to guide their input.

Frazier co-founded and sits on the steering committee of the Knox County Planning Alliance. It's made up of citizens and organizations that advocate for intentional growth with coordinated infrastructure.

"This will look at all of the things that impact you and your family and your community on a daily basis," Frazier said. "From transportation to utilities to public safety to education in the schools."

Duisen, the Knox resident who has seen many UT alumni leave the area, said he intends to give input. Between traffic congestion and a lack of multifamily housing near services, he sees room for improvement in the county's planning.

"I would like to see more planning ahead instead of reaction planning," he said. "I also think a more transparent or easy to understand planning process would be helpful."

To learn how to get involved with Advance Knox and receive email updates, visit advanceknox.org/participate