• Creating Better Community Facilities
  • Map 10: Community Facilities Plan

Creating Better Community Facilities

Parks, Recreation Facilities and Greenways
The distribution of neighborhood parks, the age of facilities and the need to expand connections to the greenway system are the foremost concerns. The development of this plan is focused on these issues.

Neighborhood Parks and related facilities: The Central City has the highest housing densities of any area in the county and more neighborhood parks are needed to meet residents’ recreational needs. Such parks, which include playfield and playground space, should be within a quarter mile walking distance of most residents. The areas which are lacking in this regard are depicted on Map 10. In response to the need, the following program is proposed:

1. Lincoln Park: acquire park space near Lincoln Park United Methodist Church.
   
   

   Lincoln Park: a potential option in creating a neighborhood park is to acquire additional land adjacent to the Methodist Church’s recreation area.

   
   
   
2. Oakwood: renovate the original portion of the Oakwood School for neighborhood use or as a residential reuse; reclaim the remainder of the grounds as park space.
   
   
   

   The reuse of the Oakwood School site for park purposes would meet a significant recreation need.

   
   
   
   
3. Wilson Road area: set aside a neighborhood park to serve the apartment residents in this vicinity.
4. Buck Toms Park: develop a neighborhood park through a master plan process that would include the greater area (see open space recommendations below).
5. Third Creek Greenway/ Sutherland Avenue: create a neighborhood park near the greenway entrance.
6. Guy Love Towers area: as part of the redevelopment program in this vicinity combine the open space at Guy Love Towers with that of the nearby Boys Club/Girls Club. Relocate KCDC maintenance facilities to an industrial or warehouse setting.
7. Fourth and Gill area: acquire an additional park (the opportunities to expand the existing pocket park are limited): also, create a sound barrier next to existing park as part of interstate construction.
8. Cherry Street/Washington Avenue vicinity: establish a neighborhood park
9. Fort Sanders: acquire and develop a park serving the neighborhood as depicted in the Fort Sanders Neighborhood Plan at the location of Sixteenth Street and Laurel Avenue.
10. Fort Sanders (west of 20th Street, north of Highland Avenue): set aside a neighborhood park to serve future apartment residents in this vicinity.
11. Lonsdale: create a passive park as part of the Lonsdale Center project that can be enjoyed by older residents; also acquire a new park to meet the needs of the youth who reside in Lonsdale Homes
12. Recreation centers: various facilities need to be renovated (the Lonsdale Center is a foremost example); program the facility improvements to include a wider range of family activities (the military’s recreation centers can serve as a model in this regard) Renovation and Rehabilitation Projects
13. Lonsdale Park/Lonsdale Elementary School: vacate Bragg Street between these two public resources, making this into a super block and seamless open space system. Expand the existing recreation center to Recreation Commission standards for youth league play, including bleachers and concession area.
14. West View Park: renovate the basketball court.
15. Mayfield Park: complete park design and link with textured crosswalks to Maynard Elementary School.
16. Tyson Park: renovate bathrooms and improve road system and landscaping.
17. Complete renovations as outlined in the Knoxville’s Recreation Action Program, including smaller scale items like replacement of grills, resurfacing and landscaping at individual parks (not depicted on map).
18. Rule High School: reacquire the football and related fields to be set aside as community park space (working out a lease agreement with Knoxville College should they need these facilities for intercollegiate athletics in the future). Develop a reuse program for the gymnasium for community use. Greenways and Open Spaces
19. Buck Toms, Crestview Cemetery and New Gray Cemetery: create an open space system by connecting and renovating park and cemetery space; also, provide a trail system that would run to Western Avenue via the transmission line corridor.
20. Lonsdale/Sharps Ridge: create a greenway between Ameristeel and the neighborhood and along the ridge for slope and habitat protection, and community trail use.
21. Eastport/Walter P. Taylor area: renovate Eastport Park and restore the Odd Fellow Cemetery; connect them to Walter Hardy Park, providing more meaningful open space.
22. First Creek Greenway: extend the greenway to Fountain City and to Downtown.
23. Second Creek Greenway: work with UT to extend the greenway to the waterfront, and northward, creating a greenway and protected creek corridor as part of I-275 business park development.
24. Western Avenue extension: provide trail connections along Western Avenue as part of the Keith Avenue to Texas Avenue highway project
25. Malcolm Martin Park/Knoxville College Greenway: develop a walking trail through Malcom Martin Park that would encircle the football field and track area and return via College Street and the edge of Mechanicsville Commons.
    
    

    The landscape of Malcolm Martin Park and Knoxville College would make a wonderful place for a greenway trail.

    
    
    
26. Complete extension of the Riverfront Greenway over the South Knoxville Bridge.
27. St. Mary’s Hospital sidewalk and walking trail improvements: develop sidewalk and trail connections for better hospital and high school access and for the benefit of families who are involved in longer visits (so, as the hospital administration noted, they can get outdoors for awhile instead of having to stay in waiting rooms) as well as hospital staff.

Schools

• Renovate Maynard School and its grounds, fostering the further revitalization of the Mechanicsville neighborhood
• Continue the maintenance and upgrade programs for the other Central City schools

Libraries

• Continue to keep the headquarters/main library downtown
• Integrate new libraries as part of Empowerment Zone revitalization efforts, examining such opportunities as a new library within the proposed Lonsdale Center

Maynard School and its landscape should be renovated for both education and neighborhood revitalization purposes.

The Murphy Branch Library, which has the smallest circulation in the library system, is tucked away in the rear of the LT Ross Building. Improved branch locations should be considered, including Empowerment Zone proposals as Lonsdale Center.