After two years, Advance Knox is almost ready to launch a new Knoxville developmental plan that will guide how infrastructure investments are made throughout Knox County. This initiative will guide Knox County’s growth over the next 20 years.
The Knox County Comprehensive Land Use and Transportation Plan focused on land use and allotment, multimodal transportation, housing expansion, natural areas conservation, workforce, community character, recreation, zoning and economic growth.
“The vision statement captures the broadest aspiration for the future of Knox County and serves the overall direction for the plan: A thriving county that honors its natural beauty and cultural heritage, while supporting diverse people and businesses,” Advance Knox said in their draft plan.
On Oct. 24, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Knoxville City Mayor Indya Kincannon and Farragut Town Administrator David Smoak along with representatives from the Knoxville Utilities Board, Knoxville Chamber and Knox County Schools Board of Education met to discuss the draft plan with Kimley-Horn.
The Advance Knox initiative is led by Kimley-Horn, a North Carolina-based consulting firm that has developed a draft plan for the campaign.
Advance Knox is officially in the beginning stages of approval and implementation, and, if all goes as planned, the laws and guidelines derived from the plan will go into effect in early 2024.
The committee must meet twice before they can submit the plan to the Knox County Commission, Knoxville City Council and Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen for approval. The first meeting is set for Nov. 16.
This project acknowledges the close relationship between the City of Knoxville and the Town of Farragut and Knox County. It has worked with valued stakeholders and people from all communities to create a plan that best encompasses the needs of each rapidly expanding district.
Although this plan primarily focuses on Knox County, the majority of growth will occur at Knoxville City limits and Farragut to aid in the exponentially growing population in these areas.
To make the Land Use and Transportation Plan fully applicable to the needs of the Knoxville community, the planning process included three rounds of feedback from over 4,000 public participants through workshops, virtual meetings and online surveys.
Based on data provided by the initiative, Knox County is expected to add 79,000 people — since 2020 — to its population by 2045, making the projected total population 557,000 people compared to nearly 196,000 in Knoxville City and nearly 25,000 in the Town of Farragut currently.
With these rapidly growing rates, many residents and officials are working to devise a plan to not only aid in the Knoxville housing crisis but also to help citizens when it comes to issues of conservation, sustained economic growth, safety and public transportation concerns.
The plan focuses on the improvement of multimodal greenways and sidewalk facilities in school zones and civic recreational areas. This will create more connectivity between origins and destinations and will create a pedestrian network in an attempt to cut down on traffic congestion in some areas.
The Future Land Use Map depicts what kind of development certain areas of Knoxville can expect to see in the coming years.
West Knox County can expect to see high residential and commercial development, while the majority of North and East Knox County can expect agricultural and recreational advancements for wildlife purposes.
“I am excited to see Advance Knox move into the adoption phase,” Jacobs said. “This process has helped us create a plan that prioritizes smart growth and infrastructure maintenance so that we can maintain our quality of life and unique identity while continuing to welcome new residents.”
