VOLuntarilyConservative

South Knoxville Redevelopment Area

Knoxville's effort to renovate the waterfront area on the south banks of the Tennessee River is an issue near and dear to my heart, simply because I live there. OK, technically I am about 100 yards away from the renovation area, but that's practically in the renovation zone. At least it is a great deal closer than South Knox Bubba, who didn't even live in Knox County but was quite concerned about the city's undertaking. I am, too, because TDOT's closings of James White Parkway and I-40 will - in my opinion - stifle any growth that the area has seen in the past few years. Renovating the south riverfront may not be enough, especially if the area between the riverfront and John Sevier Highway becomes nearly inaccessible as TDOT expands I-40.

Yesterday, the city evaluation committee narrowed the list of contractors to three, including one Knoxville firm, Bullock, Smith & Partners. The Knoxville News-Sentinel has provided all of the contractors' proposals in PDF format, and some of the ideas are quite interesting. I am certainly a novice when it comes to these sorts of dealings, but some of the ideas seem quite attainable. If anyone has any thoughts on the specific proposals, I would love to read them.