KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee in Knoxville is planning to build two new residence halls and is setting its sights on expanding into the South Waterfront to keep up with continued record enrollment.
The Board of Trustees approved amendments to the 2016 Master Housing Plan to provide funding for two newly proposed dorms on UT's downtown Knoxville campus. The first would be located near Dogwood and Magnolia Halls and have roughly 525 beds, and the second would be built between Caldonia and Terrace Avenue and have close to 750 beds.
John Cadotte, the neighborhood's representative of Advisory Council, says he picked this area to buy a house with his girlfriend for a few reasons because it's low key, close to downtown and there's a lot of nature. Now he says he's worried this will change.
"The main concern I hear from the residents is worry about what's going to happen this area with the influx of student housing and students, and how that will change the dynamic of the neighborhood," Cadotte said. "There's not really a good way to bring in so many people without addressing the railroad tunnel."
The university is also looking to evaluate two older 1960s-era dorms on campus: Reese and Carrick Halls. UT said it would make a decision to renovate or demolish and replace those dorms after conducting a thorough evaluation.
Along with the new dorms, UT made a proposal to expand its campus boundary into the South Waterfront, saying it's looking to acquire property in the area west of West Blount Avenue and Scottish Pike near Fort Dickerson Park.
UT said it wants to help the city plan and pay for a pedestrian bridge near Thompson-Boling Arena that would connect the area to the South Waterfront. The university said it has been planning since 2006 to expand past the Tennessee River to meet the need for more student housing and parking, saying the area it's eyeing includes underutilized and vacant commercial or industrial sites.
"They kind of go hand in hand because, so the bridge is really I mean the bridge say what you want it's really for UT," Cadotte said.
The original 2016 Campus Master Plan update included an expansion of the campus boundary into the corridor along Concord Street and Sutherland Avenue. However, UT said that area is better suited for off-campus functions, saying it has been difficult to obtain land in the area because it is "either not for sale or priced well above the appraised value."
"Where you could have like a grocery store, and you know, other retail, but also have residents, but also good greenways and green space," Cadotte said.
The Board of Trustees approved the amendments, telling UT to seek state approvals as required.
Cadotte said, they want the city to include the community in big changes like these and consider how they would affect their lives.
"I think some of it is inevitable, and some of its good. but it's like, how do we guide this development in a healthy way?" Cadotte said.