Advisory Committee

 

Public Meeting Comments from November 9 Meeting

Qualities you would like to see in 5- years

Pedestrians/Bicycles

    • Time traffic signals to be more pedestrian friendly (shorter cycle lengths)
    • More pedestrian friendly
    • Larger, safer pedestrian passages
    • Safer pedestrian crossings
    • Safer for bicycles, bike lanes
    • Safe and enjoyable bicycle & pedestrian environment – bike lanes, streets, trees, well marked crosswalks, slower speeds
    • Bike lanes along the entire corridor, which will connect to future bike lanes. Bike lockers like the ones in the parking garages by Market Square for travelers & commuters
    • Pedestrian, pedestrian, pedestrian!!!! Scale of the street and atmosphere to create “social” space
    • Re-surfacing of sidewalks
    • More pedestrian orientation – fewer cars – move room for bikes , strollers & wheelchairs
    • Much more of a pedestrian friendly place
    • Separating walking versus bike lanes is critical. Its hard to ride and walk in the same space
    • Pedestrian sidewalks should be larger to accommodate large crowds, straight access from the dorms, fort & campus
    • Barrier between pedestrian and vehicles
    • Safer foot traffic, barriers (hedges for example) that keep pedestrians on crosswalks
    • More attractive sidewalks
    • Wide sidewalks with trees
    • Pedestrian – bike
    • Pedestrian appeal for all users

Parking

    • All parking and deliveries in the back of buildings
    • More parking in rear of buildings
    • Parking garages that allow people who make purchases/eat on the strip to allow up to 2 hours for free parking
    • Ample parking in centralized location parking garage
    • Limit or eliminate parking in front of businesses – this will do the most to reduce accidents
    • On street parking
    • Parking made easier
    • All parking in the back
    • Move parking from the front of the buildings to the back
    • Shared parking within the district
    • Less cars in my view, smaller lanes, slower traffic, off street parking, parking garages – that don’t look like parking garages

Mixed Use/Retail Environment

    • Unique local businesses – no more chains!
    • Loose the “free way exit restaurant spread” less fast food – allow other vendors – unique eateries.
    • Increase retail on the strip
    • More markets/open or farmers markets
    • I feel the commercial space is wasted; vacant or closed lots
    • 24 hour activity
    • A children’s museum on the water
    • Diverse shops – healthy image
    • Apartments over shops, office and parking structures
    • Wide variety of retail uses (books, clothes & groceries)
    • Have more one- of a kind restaurants not chain restaurants
    • Higher/greater density – people living above Sunspot or the bank. Design standards no more boxing crap – taco hell – krystals architecture

Character “feel”/Public Realm

    • Less cars in my view, smaller lanes, slower traffic, off street parking, parking garages – that don’t look like parking garages
    • Unique local businesses – no more chains!
    • Less visual clutter/enhanced streetscape
    • UT needs to respect the neighborhood! Stop tearing down historic structures & integrate new construction into existing land use
    • Loose the “free way exit restaurant spread” less fast food – allow other vendors – unique eateries.
    • Less clutter – billboards, high signs, telephone pole wires
    • Aesthetically pleasing
    • A beautiful place to have a cup of coffee, a beer or dinner
    • Aesthetically beautiful entrance to the neighborhood, University & downtown
    • More of an avenue or boulevard feel
    • More continuity in design
    • Homeless
    • Respectful of existing historic architecture developed
    • Modern architecture – downtown atmosphere, sharp angles
    • Natural beauty structures, crosswalks, greenspace, cleanliness!
    • No big signage – NEON
    • Vibrant community instead of transient area Pedestrian, pedestrian, pedestrian!!!! Scale of the street and atmosphere to create “social” space
    • Form based codes
    • A clean well lit place in greenspaces and in others missing
    • Curb the panhandling!
    • Less lack of infill. Push parking & housing away. More density
    • Fewer store signs on the south side of the street – make it more subtle like the north side
    • Signage needs to be more uniform
    • Removal of unsightly advertising
    • Less visual clutter
    • Unified look for strip street scape
    • A healthy, clean, individual spot !
    • Reduce visual clutter – bury power lines, codify signage, make visually appealing, lighting & directional
    • Like “Mayberry”
    • Make a place that people don’t just go to but they stay in
    • Make Fort Sanders a community again. Not a 3-5 year home for students
    • SEC character – a place where the students hang out example – GA, Ole Miss & Alabama.
    • Higher/greater density – people living above Sunspot or the bank. Design standards no more boxing crap – taco hell – krystals architecture
    • Keep the scale in check – not downtown but not Farragut
    • Less Panhandling
    • One unique lighting identity
    • Density should be limited in terms of high rises
    • There are no good outdoor gathering spaces adjacent to the strip for concerts, etc.
    • Don’t treat the homeless like something to hide
    • Be visually pleasing as well as easy accessability to al parts of the strip from campus, Fort Saunders, downtown, etc.

Green

    • More green vegetation on strip center
    • More green spaces – trees planted down the sidewalks – flower pots that are maintained – less concrete!
    • Greener
    • More recycling/green – environmentally friendly clean spaces
    • Plant more trees & grass and get rid of asphalt
    • Fresh – trees, pedestrians not so close to stagnant car exhaust
    • Pervious pavements, more greenery using native species
    • Wide sidewalks with trees
    • Increased landscaping
    • More trees and landscaping – visually more attractive
    • More street trees
    • Setbacks with greenspace, trees & grass

Traffic Control/Management /Transit

    • Wider streets – how will this effect businesses & commercial appeal to the UT campus in general
    • Loose the “free way exit restaurant spread” less fast food – allow other vendors – unique eateries.
    • 20 mph speed limit, motorized traffic volume down to 20% of present
    • Safer and more efficient traffic flow – vehicular, bike & pedestrian
    • Push more traffic to Neyland and other outside routes with less traffic lights. Cumberland should not serve as a spine for parking structures
    • Better all around pedestrian access to businesses, safer vehicular flows & parking. Pedestrian bridges? Think GAME DAY!
    • Better traffic flow – traffic calming
    • Slower speeds on Cumberland
    • Don’t divert traffic to Clinch Ave.
    • Use transit to de-amphasize through traffic and emphasize peripheral parking
    • Bus pullouts impede transit
    • Ideal plan for the strip would be no autos….perhaps a two trolley system and re-routing cars to alleys and garages

Connections

    • Strong connection to downtown – redevelop 11th Street and Cumberland area
    • Bike lanes along the entire corridor, which will connect to future bike lanes. Bike lockers like the ones in the parking garages by Market Square for travelers & commuters
    • Many students live in South Knoxville, other employees of the university and others need better links to the university
    • Gateways
    • Connections to the strip from the for, dorms and academic buildings need to be improved as much as the strip
    • Be visually pleasing as well as easy accessability to al parts of the strip from campus, Fort Saunders, downtown, etc.

Other

    • Greater definition of boundaries & modes. 17th & Cumberland are entries to strip & downtown
    • Hospital & University collaboration
    • Emergency phones (call boxes)
    • Listen to what the community wants, not just to what would benefit business or your wallets