Several properties within this district are in need of additional investment and/or redevelopment. Magnolia Avenue was once part of the residential district of Park City, but commercial development has changed the make up of the structures along the avenue. Old apartment buildings and residences are still found among the commercial and office buildings. In many cases, older commercial structures are now vacant.

This street, which originally contained a streetcar line, was named for Magnolia Bryan Banner, the mother of Knoxville Mayor H. Bryan Banner (1880). Magnolia trees, possibly lost during a project to widen the lanes, were abundant at one time. Magnolia Avenue has sidewalks and planting strips, with electrical lines located behind the buildings instead of along the street frontage. Numerous opportunities to improve the streetscape and the business district exist. The area should be a priority in the Street Tree Master Plan being developed by MPC in 2002.

Empowerment Zone projects, recent improvements to Chilhowee Park and future phases of the park improvement will serve as a catalyst for private investment in this area. Redevelopment should be pedestrian friendly, with a mix of uses, serving the needs of the East Knoxville community and tourists visiting the neighborhood’s attractions. Conventional zoning found in the 1960’s era ordinance does little to encourage the type of development residents want in this area. However, newer zones such as the TND-1 and TC-1 give developers considerable flexibility in exchange for pedestrian amenities and high-quality design.

Historic Magnolia Avenue, circa 1920.

Recent improvements to Chilhowee Park and future phases of the park improvement will serve as a catalyst for private investment.

This is one of the places that gives the East City Sector distinctive character, and it has some historical significance due to the wealth brought to the community through mining. While several residents of the East City Sector would like to see the entire ridge preserved as it is, this site offers an opportunity to balance conservation and development objectives, creating a better community in the process.

If adequate sewer capacity is obtained, this area should develop according to environmental assets, capabilities and limitations of the site. Land and slope conservation should be the central organizing principle of the development. The site serves as one building block within a community-wide system of open space, eventually leading to an interconnected network of protected land. The developer should design buildings and streets around public open space, providing pedestrian connections to the Holston River Park and Greenway. Connections should also be planned to open space on the opposite side of the ridge, where the landfill is located, because this site can be used for parks and recreation in the future.

At the end of this demolition landfill’s operating life, the site can be reused as public recreational space.

Principles of new urbanism should be used to develop vacant parcels adjacent to Washington and Millertown Pikes, and to redevelop parcels where the existing low density residential land use is no longer appropriate. This neighborhood should contain public transit facilities, with the needs of daily life easily accessible by a 5-10 minute walk. Commerce can be integrated with residential uses, using the improved Washington and Millertown Pikes roadway to contain intensive uses within the triangle. For example, apartments can be allowed over stores. Buildings should successfully define public space, including streets, parks and squares. An architectural design code for the district should be developed in order to establish massing, fenestration (windows/entrances), materials, and roof pitch.

This is the type neighborhood that many of the residents envision living in, but with additional retail traffic, they worry that the transportation system will not function well. At the request of the City of Knoxville, the engineering firm Wilbur-Smith and Associates proposed a series of improvements for the Knoxville Center Mall area. Providing adequate road capacity for vehicles coming into the shopping center from outlying areas in the county was important in this study. Additional studies on circulation should be conducted at a micro-level, to improve the traffic flow between shopping centers and to increase pedestrian connectivity.

There are several issues related to new development around the Alice Bell-Spring Hill community. Questions include the potential to provide a connection between Centerline Drive and Spring Hill Road, the appropriateness of North and South Mall Road still being one way roads, and the best location for crosswalks and other pedestrian connections.

This intersection of Washington and Millertown Pike, currently a three-way stop, will soon consist of more lanes and a signal light. With several residential developments in the neighborhood, the movement of vehicles should not take precedence over the movement of pedestrians.

In a compact urban neighborhood, condominiums provide high enough density to support public transit facilities and neighborhood-serving retail establishments within walking distance, reducing the number of vehicle trips per day.

In general, these principles produce settings resembling American towns before World War II, including sidewalks, street trees and “main street” style shops. Human scale is the standard for buildings, with cars not taking precedence over human needs, including aesthetic needs. Civic buildings such as churches and libraries serve as landmarks. The street is the pre-eminent form of public space; building facades along the edge of the sidewalk enclose the street like walls of an outdoor room. Because streets differ in importance, scale, and quality, appropriate distinctions are expressed by physical design.