Central Street
View Central Street Corridor Map

In planting trees and improving the streetscape of Central Street, an essential objective is to enhance and help to protect the adjacent neighborhoods lying to the east, including Oakwood, Old North and 4th and Gill. Before the completion of I-275, Central Street was a major gateway to Knoxville. The appearance of its streetscape has evolved over the years as businesses and land uses have changed. Today, its streetscape varies in terms of the number of travel lanes, nearby landscape and adjacent land uses.

Starting at East Fifth Avenue and continuing to Central, the street has a very urban setting with townhouses and slot commercial buildings. Between Broadway and Woodland, its four travel lanes are lined by planting strips, often planted with small ornamental trees. The remainder of the corridor, especially the commercial and industrial districts, is often lined by extensive areas of concrete and asphalt.

Recommendations:

• Plant rows of trees perpendicular to Central Street on the eastbound streets as gateways to the adjoining neighborhoods.
• Develop elongated planting wells in the Happy Hollow and Emory Place areas for street trees.
• Select appropriate species for the planting strips and continue that landscaping program.
• As part of overall land use and transportation planning, examine road design alternatives that accommodate street trees, better turning movements and improve sidewalks. A three-lane road with landscaped medians should be one of the alternatives to be examined for the length of the corridor.