KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County leaders unveiled a proposed land use and transportation plan at a meeting, Monday.
The project is aimed at creating a comprehensive plan to guide decisions on Knox County's growth over the coming years, and its organizers announced a third round of public input meetings.
Advance Knox began at the end of 2021 and was expected to take around 18 months to complete. At the end of the process, in which groups collect opinions and determine the values of Knox County, they will propose a final plan to be heard by the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission. That plan will then go to the Knox County Commission for approval.
The plan will establish policies and principles meant to guide future development and preservation decisions. County leaders will be expected to use the plan when making decisions on land use maps, zoning, and other kinds of decisions.
Advance Knox only applies to unincorporated parts of Knox County. It does not apply to Knoxville or Farragut, but the county can propose planning solutions to both areas as part of the plan.
Based on public input, Engineers said they applied the "town and country" model to the county. It would create more town centers with greenways and more walkable places.
"We would get to where people can live, work and play in a closer proximity than they have been previously," said Jim Snowden, the Director of Public Works for Knox County.
Snowden said the new plan would allow the county to strategically plan for the future while trying to save money.
"I think the alternative is to continue to go where we've went, which is more sprawl," said Snowden. "The unplanned growth, just growth as it pops up throughout the community, without a rhyme or reason."
County leaders previously said around 75,000 people were expected to move to the area over the next 20 years.
A list of the upcoming public meetings where people can discuss their priorities for Knox County's growth is below.
- Cansler YMCA - March 27 at 12 p.m.
- Gibbs Middle School - March 27 at 5:30 p.m.
- Brickey McCloud Elementary School - March 28 at 5:30 p.m.
- Virtual Public Event (register here) - March 29 at 12 p.m.
- Northshore Elementary School - March 29 at 5:30 p.m.
- Bonny Kate Elementary School - March 30 at 5:30 p.m.
- Virtual Public Event (register here) - April 6 at 12 p.m.
Documentation for the final plan is expected to be ready in April, and Advance Knox said they expect the final plan to be adopted in June.