KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As work on the new Public Safety Complex continues in North Knoxville, several images have been shared of debris and demolition at the site. However, the City of Knoxville wants the community to know more is being planned for the site.
Lincoln Memorial University prepared renderings with an architect firm of a planned "green oasis" next to its nursing school at the complex. The green space will also connect to a public quadrangle-type green space, with an open-air design. These kinds of designs are usually meant to provide space for meeting areas and social gatherings.
“Lincoln Memorial University wanted to bring an appropriate collegiate look to the site," said Pete DeBusk, Chairman of the LMU Board of Trustees. "LMU is investing a fortune to repurpose this building, which has great bones, but it would be a mistake not to realize its full potential. Not only will these plans give the facility an elegant look, it will provide a beautiful community space."
Officials said the area was inspired by the lawn and rotunda designed by Thomas Jefferson at the University of Virginia. It includes a new façade and entrance leading up to the LMU Tower.
The Public Safety Complex will also house police, fire, city court, E-911 and pension system offices and operations. City court will be in a newly constructed building near Clarke Tower, officials said.
The complex is set to open in summer 2022, and officials said that the site will at least preliminarily landscaped by then. Information about the types of plants planned in the green space was not immediately available.