KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — A group of South Knox County neighbors plan to gather for a protest on Saturday and demonstrate against the possibility of zoning rules changing in the area around Bower Field Park. The changes would allow the area to be used commercially.
"I grew up playing ball here. Most of our family and friends learned how to play ball at these ball fields," said Bradley Russell, one of the neighbors.
He said he has called South Knox County home for almost 50 years, near Bower Field Park. It includes three baseball fields, a playground, a restroom and two softball fields. The future of the park is uncertain, after a developer proposed rezoning the area for commercial use.
"My biggest fear is that this will get rezoned to commercial. They will close the ballpark down, and that'll be the end of it," said Russell. "What do you really have in mind here? Why can't we just be out and open, if it's really for the good of the community?"
He said neighbors are upset that county leaders have not provided specific details on how the park may be used by developers. Documents from the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission show that Thunder Mountain Properties proposed rezoning the area in the fall of 2023, asking for more than 30 acres of land — around 28 football fields worth of space.
The plan is waiting to be heard by Knox County Commissioners.
"We know when they say, 'We want to develop commercially,' where's the ballfield going to go? There is no place for it," said Dawn Close, another neighbor planning to attend a protest against rezoning the area on Saturday.
She said she moved to South Knox County for the rural lifestyle and is afraid that her neighborhood won't be able to handle commercial development.
"This is a super busy highway, and it's also a very dangerous highway," she said. "We know that the time is short for how long the kids are going to be able to play at this field."
The "Save Bower Field" protest is planned for Saturday morning at 11 a.m. near Bower Field Park.
WBIR reached out to Thunder Mountain Properties for this story and did not hear back by the time it was published.
WBIR also reached out to Knox County Commissioner Kim Frazier who provided a statement. It is available below.
“I think that it is understandable for a community to have questions when a rezoning application is placed on the planning commission agenda for property that is currently home to a public ball field, especially when there is no confirmed, public information to confirm the future of those fields.
I also think that it is understandable for community members to have questions when there are multiple rezoning applications in their area on the same agenda.
I always encourage applicants to reach out to the community to discuss their plans before the case heard by both planning commission and county commission. This eliminates land speculation and often fosters better relationships among developers and community members.
Although there have been community meetings regarding other rezoning by this applicant, I am not aware of one for this case. That doesn’t mean that one can’t happen in the near future and that is my hope."