MARYVILLE, Tenn. — New things are on the way to downtown Maryville and the city is inviting people to see the upgrades for themselves at an open house next week.
City officials said TSW Design Consultants have finished an eight-month study on the area and will be presenting their final recommendations for developing Maryville's downtown at the meeting.
Recommendations will be made for things like public art, public spaces, economic development and downtown land use at the meeting.
The city provided information in a presentation about the project in August, where they looked at everything from available space downtown to the people who frequent the area.
That presentation noted consultants taking a look at how the city could transform vacant and underdeveloped areas, leverage development projects already in the pipeline and address transportation needs.
According to a Preliminary Market Study Snapshot presented over the summer, downtown residents skew younger and around 30% of people who live in the area are members of Generation Z.
The presentation also noted the area has more than 280 businesses and that 7,400 people either work in or adjacent to downtown Maryville.
The largest employers downtown are Blount Memorial Hospital, Maryville College and the Maryville city government, according to the presentation.
The public is welcome to attend the event on Feb. 6 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Maryville Municipal Center. It will be located in the Gary Hensley Meeting Room, 400 W. Broadway Ave. in Maryville.
For more information on the project, visit www.maryvilledowntownplan.com.