KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission denied a request from a group of property owners in the downtown area to reconsider allowing an apartment building to be built near Henley Bridge.
The proposal would have crews build the Hill and Locust apartment complex near Hill Avenue and Locust Street, an "L" shaped building with views of the Tennessee River. Plans discussed on June 20 call for the building to be 18 stories tall, with between nine and 14 stories of residential apartments built above a five-story parking garage built into a steep hill near the Henley Bridge.
The apartment complex would also have a partial penthouse floor, which developers said would give pedestrians the appearance that the building had one fewer floor. They said it would provide more "articulation in the roofline, providing massing relief while making the building feel less monolithic."
It would also be a short walk from the Neyland Greenway and Volunteer Landing Park. Knoxville's Design Review Board previously said the parcels where the building would be built "have historically been cleared and used as occasional surface parking." Documents for the project said amenities for residents would include a pool terrace, a club room, fitness amenities and a lobby.
Plans for the building were conditionally approved by Knoxville's Design Review Board in June. Developers were told they would need to meet four specific conditions, listed below.
- Final site plan, pedestrian improvements, and parking garage to meet City Engineering standards;
- Final landscaping plan to meet standards of City zoning code;
- Any mechanical equipment or service utilities not shown on plans to be placed on secondary elevations and receive screening as necessary;
- Signage to return to DRB as a separate application
After the decision was announced, a group of people living downtown filed an appeal objecting to the plans. An attorney, Daniel Sanders, said his clients believed the design did not align with guidelines for what should be built in the area.
He previously said his clients planned to appeal to the Knoxville City Council if the board rejected their appeal.