KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — A development in the Old Concord historic area in West Knox County has been temporarily stopped.
The Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals decided on Wednesday that the development is too large for the area.
Nearby residents showed up to show their opposition to the project. A few different speakers got up to share their opinion that the development isn't right for the area.
“Old Concord is this historic village,” said Belinda Brown, who said she lived in in for more than 21 years. “It has graves going back to just right past the Civil War. Very old buildings with beautiful architecture, small one-lane streets. Kids ride their bikes.”
But now, Brown said a new development in the area might change that.
“It just overall is really out of scale for a neighborhood commercial lot and is more appropriate for a commercial lot, more like a Kingston Pike sort of corridor,” said Taylor Harris, another resident of the area.
Harris is the President of the Old Concord Residents Association, which appealed the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission’s decision to approve an EZ Stop with four gas pumps, a store and a Calloway’s Tennessee Kitchen behind Concord Road.
“We knew the Concord Neighborhood Association was not in favor of growth based on what the landowners had said and other conversations we’d had but we thought we’d addressed their concerns on the design and impacts with it,” said Tommy Hunt, the Calloway Oil Company president.
The company owns 26 other locations similar to what’s proposed for Concord Road. On Wednesday, the appeals board granted the appeal, saying the more than 7,000 square-foot project can only be 5,000 square feet because of the residential commercial zoning.
“We’ll have to go back with our architects and engineers and get that kind of design ready and then resubmit it,” Hunt said.
But for the residents who showed up to the meeting, the size isn’t the only issue. They’re also concerned about increasing traffic.
“There are people who walk their pets and stroll their babies and just walk with their families through here,” Harris said.
It’s also about preserving the historic character, Brown explained.
“The people want to retain the little pockets of Knoxville that have the charm, that have the history that makes us unique,” Brown said.
The residents said they don't see much room for compromise since they say what they're looking for isn't in line with the developers' goals.
EZ Stop and Calloway's Tennessee Kitchen provided a statement about the decision.
"Both EZ Stop and its sister company Calloway’s Tennessee Kitchen model each of their locations after the unique communities in which they serve,” the statement said. “The potential Concord location plans to use different bricks and textures to mimic styles indicative of the surrounding areas.”
“Additionally, both businesses plan to implement their community-first mindset at this new location. EZ Stop and Calloway’s Tennessee Kitchen locations focus their community involvement on the micro-communities surrounding each location, with an education-first mindset,” the statement also said. “Annual grants to local schools, plus Pellissippi Community College, are among the first priorities for the businesses."
