Archive 2012

Planning Technician Emily Dills Explains MPC’s Administrative Plat Review Process

Emily Dills, Planning Technician in MPC’s Development Services division, has been with the agency for more than 8 years. But, she brings to the table many more years of local community service that round out her talents and serve her well in her Development Services role. Read the article >>
Posted 5-16-2012, written by Buz Johnson and Emily Dills

Local Development Activity Shows Mixed Results According to Recent MPC Report

Each year MPC publishes its Development Activity Report, summarizing residential and commercial building permit, zoning, and subdivision figures for the City of Knoxville, Knox County and Town of Farragut. The 2011 edition was recently released, reporting mixed reviews about local development trends. Read the article >>
Posted 5-09-2012, written by Bryan Berry

Bike Month Kicks Off with Neighborhood Ride and Festival

May is National Bike Month, and the Knoxville region has many free rides, classes and events to celebrate it. To kick off local activities, two keynote events are scheduled – I Bike KNX Festival and Neighborhood Bike Ride. They will be held Sunday, May 6 at Market Square from 1 – 5:30 p.m. Festivities begin with helmet and bike decorating and free safety checks. The Neighborhood Ride commences from the Square at 2 p.m. for a tour of South Knoxville and returns to downtown for the Festival. Read the article >>
Posted 5-02-2012, written by Kelley Segars

Planners to Host Open House for South County Sector Plan Update

The second round of public input sessions is gearing up for the South County Sector Plan update, with community meetings scheduled for May 8 and 10. Citizens will be able to ask MPC staff questions, offer comments, and make recommendations on the sector plan. MPC will present four key proposals in the sector plan update: a future Land Use Plan, a Community Facilities Plan, a Transportation Improvement Plan, and a Green Infrastructure Plan. Read the article >>
Posted 5-02-2012, written by Liz Albertson

MPC Seeks Community’s Ideas on North County Sector Plan Update

The second round of public meetings for the North County Sector Plan kicked off on April 16 at the Halls Senior Center where MPC planners presented proposed plans, answered questions, and received feedback from the community. Comments on plan proposals were positive, and citizens made a few plan recommendations of their own, including showing the proposed greenway that will connect Halls Elementary School with the proposed Clayton Park. Another recommendation included expansion of the mixed use district (MU-NCo4) west of the Emory Road/Central Avenue Pike intersection. That designation would encompass a proposed medium density residential area and allow office and commercial uses. Read the article >>
Posted 4-25-2012, written by Mike Reynolds

PlanET Gears Up for Regional Forum Series 2 Events

Plan East Tennessee, or PlanET, invites community members throughout Anderson, Blount, Knox, Loudon and Union counties to participate in its upcoming Regional Forum Series 2 events. Forums are scheduled to take place April 23-28, 2012. The forums focus on five areas: jobs, housing, transportation, a clean environment and community health. A full list of meeting locations and times can be found on the PlanET website. Read the article >>
Posted 4-18-2012, written by MPC Staff

MPC Supports Healthy Living Initiatives: Eat Play Live Knoxville & Food Policy Council

The Eat Play Live Knoxville Un-Conference was held March 9 and 10 in center-city Knoxville, reaching more than 300 participants with a message about eating locally and being active in their communities. The Knox County Health Department hosted the event, and the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and Knoxville-Knox County Food Policy Council (FPC) served on the planning committee. Read the article >>
Posted 4-11-2012, written by Liz Albertson and Ellen Zavisca

MPC Earns National Honor as a Best Workplace for Commuters

MPC, along with five other area employers, was recently recognized for achieving the National Standards of Excellence as a Best Workplace for Commuters. This designation is awarded by the National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Prior to this, only one other company in the state of Tennessee held this designation. An awards ceremony was held March 29 at Market Square to honor the local winners. Read the article >>
Posted 4-04-2012, written by Alisa Ashouri

Smart Trips Program Expands Outreach Efforts with New Coordinator

Smart Trips, the commuter awareness program housed within MPC, welcomed Sara Martin to its staff in February. In her capacity as Outreach Coordinator, Sara will promote the Smart Trips message throughout Knoxville and surrounding counties. Read the article >>
Posted 3-21-2012, written by MPC Staff

National Summit Brings Community Leaders to Knoxville

Last week, downtown Knoxville was the setting for the Smaller Places Summit, a gathering of community leaders from across the country, hosted by the Institute for Sustainable Communities. The goal of the Summit, held at the Four Points Sheraton-Cumberland House March 5-7, was to accelerate efforts to build economically vibrant and resilient communities through their current projects and beyond. It was a unique training opportunity that brought together teams from 15 smaller urban and rural places that have grants through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The Knoxville region’s Sustainable Communities grant supports the Plan East Tennessee (PlanET) effort. Read the article >>
Posted 3-14-2012, written by Amy Brooks

Hints of Recovery Seen in Knoxville’s Office Property Market

While selected indicators marked continued sluggishness in the Knoxville economy in 2011, hints of recovery were evident in the area’s office property market. Building vacancies dropped as absorption rates improved, and small gains were recorded in rental rates throughout much of the market. Details about Knoxville’s office property market trends and national performance measures are given in the 2011 Office Market Analysis, recently released by MPC. The report, now in its 28th year, also provides building-by-building information for Knoxville’s office properties, including gross and rentable space, vacancies, rent rates, building services, and lease terms. Read the article >>
Posted 3-07-2012, written by Bryan Berry

Knoxville’s Central City Reports Many Success Stories from Past Decade

MPC staff has embarked on the process of updating the Central City Sector Plan, adopted in 2003. Planners Mike Carberry and Jeff Archer and UT work-study volunteer Eric Matravers are preparing a background report on existing conditions in the sector to kick-off the project. In the nine years since the Central City Sector Plan was adopted, significant accomplishments in neighborhood conservation, economic development, corridor revitalization, and urban design can be linked to the planning efforts of MPC and several partner agencies. A few of those successes are profiled here. Read more >>
Posted 2-29-2012, written by Mike Carberry

Chattanooga Transit Executives Share Coordination Success With Their Knoxville Counterparts

In January, executives from the Chattanooga area traveled to Knoxville to showcase their efforts to improve coordination among local transit services. After a lunch meeting with their Knoxville counterparts the visiting group delivered a presentation to the Knoxville Project Action Coalition. Meeting attendees included representatives of the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), the Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency (SETHRA), and the Special Transit Services (STS). Read more >>
Posted 2-22-2012, written by Doug Burton

Development Activity in Knox County: 2000 to 2010 Summary

Between 2000 and 2010, Knoxville and Knox County saw considerable development activity amid a period of local and national economic boom and bust. The past 11 years contributed nearly 38,000 new units to the local inventory of homes, businesses, and public facilities. Activity fluctuated widely during this time, peaking at 4,000 or more units mid-decade and falling sharply in the last couple of years. Read the article >>
Posted 2-15-2012, written by Bryan Berry

Minvilla Manor Receives National Preservation Award

The Minvilla Manor townhomes project was recognized by the National Trust and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary for “Excellence in Historic Preservation” at the 2011 National Preservation Conference held late last year in Buffalo, NY. The prestigious award, one of only 23 distributed nationwide, recognizes efforts that further preservation of historic structures as well as provide affordable housing. It was received by the Volunteer Ministry Center for its role in rehabilitation of the property. Co-recipients were Southeastern Housing Foundation and Allan Associates Architects, PLLC. Read the article >>
Posted 2-08-2012, written by Kaye Graybeal

City and County Adopt Hillside and Ridgetop Protection Plan

With approval at its January 23rd, 2012 meeting, the Knox County Commission adopted the Knoxville-Knox County Hillside and Ridgetop Protection Plan, completing a process that began in March, 2008 with the approval by the City Council of Knoxville and the Knox County Commission appointing a Joint City/County Task Force on Ridge, Slope, and Hillside Development and Protection. City Council adopted the Plan at its December 13th, 2011 meeting. Read the article >>
Posted 2-01-2012, written by Mark Donaldson

MPC Overhauling Off-Street Parking Standards

MPC staff has been working for several months on a draft of new off-street parking standards for Knox County. The effort was initiated at the request of the Knox County Engineering and Public Works Department, calling for an update of the nearly 50-year old standards to better control water quality problems and address landscaping requirements. The Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals also weighed in on the matter, citing large numbers of requests for variances asking for parking stall size reductions. Read the article >>
Posted 1-25-2012, written by Jeff Archer

Community Input Needed for City’s One Year Plan

The Development Services staff of MPC is beginning work on the 2012 One Year Plan update, the plan that serves as the basis for rezoning decisions and short term public improvements within the City of Knoxville. A series of three public meetings will be held by staff throughout the month of February to review plan update proposals and gather input from citizens. Read the article >>
Posted 1-18-2012, written by Mike Brusseau

Keep the Conversation Going: New PlanET Public Input Tools Launched

Not able to attend the first round of PlanET Regional Forums? No problem! You have more than one opportunity to submit your ideas about our region’s strengths and challenges. We know community meetings can’t fit everyone’s schedule, so throughout the PlanET process, you can expect us to provide many ways to make sure your ideas are heard. Read the article >>
Posted 1-11-2012, written by Liz Albertson

MPC Reviewing Crematories

This past Fall a local funeral home received an air quality permit from the State of Tennessee and was issued a building permit by the City of Knoxville to construct a crematory in Fountain City. Nearby residents appealed the decision of the city building official, and the case will be heard by the Knoxville Board of Zoning Appeals later this month. In the meantime, City Council asked MPC to study, analyze, and make recommendations on appropriate siting and permitting of crematories within the city. Read the article >>
Posted 1-05-2012, written by Mark Donaldson