In terms of acreage, most of the sector is single family residential. Because of land constraints and a lack of vacant land, there are few opportunities for large-scale land development and therefore few changes in land use. Emphasis is on achieving compatible infill housing and redeveloping commercial areas to meet the needs of a diverse population.

Residential Trends
1990-2000 The breakdown of new residential units in the past ten years includes 408 single family units, 53 multi-family, and 234 condominiums. The total number of net residential properties since 1990 is 702. Major developments include Laurel Place on Valley View Drive and Buffat Trace on Buffat Mill Road.

Laurel Place on Valley View Drive is within easy walking distance to many commercial establishments and other community amenities, but adequate pedestrian facilities are not available.

Commercial Trends
Since its construction in 1984, Knoxville Center (formerly East Towne Mall) has increased traffic and stimulated development in a significant portion of the sector. This mall and several surrounding commercial properties including Sam’s Club, Kohl’s, and Walmart, are not located within the sector but have a great deal of influence on the livability of adjacent East City neighborhoods. East Towne Crossing (Home Depot) and Isaiah’s Landing (Lowe’s, currently under construction) are within the East City Sector, in very close proximity to well-established residential areas.

The old Kmart building on Asheville Highway is in need of re-adaptation/renovation for a new type of use.

If market conditions favor further expansion of commercial establishments, this growth must occur in a way that is pedestrian friendly and does not disturb existing neighborhoods. Within the sector, existing commercially zoned property is available for redevelopment as an alternative to creating new commercial areas. The highest shopping center vacancy rates in Knoxville/Knox County are found in East City, with rates approaching 20 percent. In many cases, vacant buildings will contribute to blight in the sector if they remain empty, with litter and illegal activities more likely to occur at these locations. If it is not possible to renovate the property to create a more “modern” shopping experience, re-adaptation of obsolete shopping center space for uses other than retail may be necessary.

Office Trends
Due in large part to a dominant, stable medical sector, the Central, East, and South City Sectors form a sub-market (excluding the downtown area) that outperforms all other sub-markets, with a 1.71 percent vacancy rate. Sixty-six total buildings are in the sub-market, which consists of some of Knoxville’s older building stock. Out of 2,517,432 gross sq. ft., only 36,846 is estimated to be vacant. Vacancy in the county as a whole is 7.8 percent, with office space in some sub-markets over 10 percent vacant. Trends show that office space is migrating westward, with the highest percentage of new office space in the Pellissippi sub-market.

As a planning sector, East City Sector contains 96,808 gross sq. ft. of office space in nine buildings, with no vacant square footage reported. It has the lowest vacancy rate by sector. Among city sectors, the East City Sector has the least amount of gross office space to rent. Existing office space is concentrated along Magnolia Avenue.

Better access is needed to insure viability of Forks of the River Industrial Park as an employment center for East City residents. Large trucks disrupt neighborhood traffic on Boyd’s Bridge Pike, Holston Hills Rd. and S. Chilhowee Dr. by using this bridge across Holston River as a short cut to and from the park.

Industrial Trends
Knoxville/Knox County has a total of 706 industrial buildings, with a vacancy rate of 5.4 percent, compared to the eight percent national average. Four small sub-markets, or clusters, dominate the local industrial supply. East Knoxville and Forks of the River are two of the dominant clusters, and have several large buildings. Together these two clusters have 165 buildings, representing 31 percent of the total industrial space in Knoxville/Knox County. The largest collection of warehouse footage in Knoxville/Knox County is found in the East Knoxville cluster. Portions of East City and Central City Sectors combine to form the East Knoxville cluster, which is located along the I-40 corridor, adjacent to the rail line just north of the interstate.

Local demand has been growing for suburban locations, with some tenants vacating older properties within the city. The estimated vacancy rate within the East Knoxville cluster is currently 10.9 percent, second only to the Central Avenue cluster, with a vacancy rate of 15.5 percent.

As a planning sector, the East City Sector has a 21.2 percent vacancy rate. To capitalize on Knox County’s overall shortage in industrial space, and to provide good jobs for area residents, efforts to revitalize industrial properties are underway as part of Knoxville’s Empowerment Zone initiatives. Most of the vacant space in the East Knoxville cluster is over 20 years old.

Forks of the River Industrial Park, directly adjacent to East City Sector, is newer than the East Knoxville cluster but also has some aging buildings. Continued viability of the Forks of the River Industrial Park is very important to the residents of East City sector. This industrial park has water and rail access, and is in close proximity to the Empowerment Zone. The park will provide jobs for residents of the sector and increase the stability of the entire community if properly maintained.

Some neighborhood streets, such as N. Chilhowee Drive and Holston Hills Road, experience cut through traffic—including large trucks—because of this industrial park’s proximity. Roadway improvements to Governor John Sevier Highway, which is outside of the East City Sector, would increase the viability of the industrial park while reducing the instances of traffic cutting through residential neighborhoods.

Rural Residential

610.5

596.8

5.9

Single Family Residential

3,432.9

3,471.7

34.6

Multifamily Residential

183.0

207.8

2.1

Commercial

246.8

326.8

3.3

Office

126.0

79.7

0.8

Industrial (Manufacturing)

100.6

206.5

2.1

Wholesale

*n/a

103.2

1.0

Transportation/Communications/Utilities

77.4

79.4

0.8

Public/Quasi Public Land

1,049.7

891.1

8.9

Agriculture, Forestry and Vacant Land

2,062.8

1,723.9

17.2

Public Parks

**n/a

432.4

4.3

Private Recreation

273.7

175.6

1.7

Under Construction/Other Uses/Unknown

163.2

10.6

0.1

Water

257.0

257.0

2.5

Right of Way/Open Space

1,460.4

1,481.9

14.7

Total

10,044.0

10,044.0

100