The Purpose of the Sector Plan
For planning purposes, the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) divides geographical portions of Knox County into 12 sectors. The South County Sector of Knox County is the focus of this background report. The South County Sector is bounded by the French Broad River and the South City Sector to the north, the Tennessee River to the west, and Blount County to the south. Despite significant commercial development along its major corridors (Alcoa and Chapman highways) the South County Sector is a largely rural area and the least developed sector in Knox County.

The sector plan is comprised of three components: a Background Report, a Fifteen-Year Development Plan, and a Five-Year Improvement Plan. The purpose of the Background Report is to outline the existing conditions in the sector. The Fifteen-Year Development Plan is a long-range plan that focuses on land use policies and proposals aimed at achieving a balanced and sustainable level of growth. The Five-year Improvement Plan is essentially a transportation and capital improvement plan that details short-term needs and strategies within a five-year time frame.

MPC Planning Sectors

The Sector Plan Inventory
The focus of the sector planning process is on physical development; accordingly, the inventory section of this report emphasizes land use, transportation, and community facilities. The existing conditions component of this report provides a framework for land use analysis and the subsequent creation of the five-year and fifteen-year development plans. The inventory includes statistical data and analysis of existing land use, population and housing, transportation, environmental resources, land use development, and community facilities. Sources of data include the U.S. Census Bureau, Metropolitan Planning Commission, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Knox County Department of Parks and Recreation, Knox County Greenways Coalition, Knox County School Board, and the National Register of Historic Places.

Public Involvement
Involving the public in the planning process is central to the successful development and implementation of a sector plan. In the process of revising sector plans, MPC planners will typically host numerous meetings to discuss issues in the community. Specialization within a sector plan will often lead to focused meetings on such issues as parks and greenways, transportation, and special opportunity areas. The sector planning process is collaboration between planners and residents to create a vision for land use development. The sector plan meetings bring together a widely disparate group whose opinions often vary. Assimilating information and developing consensus is the substance of the sector planning process. The final plan is a compromise of competing interests.

Updating the South County Sector plan was initiated on June 14, 2001, with a general information meeting held at South Doyle High School. Following the initial meeting, MPC planners held four workshops between June and August 2001. Prior to each general meeting and workshop, MPC mailed out flyers announcing the meetings. Announcements were sent to all known community groups, churches and PTAs in the South County Sector, as well as all meeting attendees. Additional meeting notices were hand-delivered by members of the newly formed Seven Islands-Kimberlin Heights Community Group.

During the community planning workshops, a number of major issues were identified including a historic district in the Seven Islands-Kimberlin Heights area, a conservation district in the New Hopewell area, and a community center in the South Doyle area. Based on input gathered from these workshops, MPC staff assembled a draft land use plan, which was presented to the community on September 6 and 20, 2001. Additional draft plan meetings were held on October 4 and 18, November 13 and December 11. Input from the draft plan meetings completed the final step in revising the South County Sector Plan before it was presented to the Metropolitan Planning Commission.

South County Sector Plan Update Meeting Schedule