Neighborhood Advisory #40 - Friday, July 10, 2009
Janice Tocher
Following is this week's Neighborhood Advisory.
Have a great weekend!
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Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory #40 - Friday, July 10, 2009
1. South Haven Selects Leaders, Stages Community Day
2. Council Expected to Postpone Flenniken Vote
3. Task Force to Host Public Meetings on Ridges, Slopes
4. New Mapping Viewer Provides Access to 17,000 MPC Cases
5. Plans Move Forward to Redistrict Knox County
6. MPC Adopts Magnolia Avenue Corridor Plan
7. Knox Heritage Launches New Website
8. Neighborhood Events & Meetings
9. Upcoming Government Meetings
** This Advisory is produced on most Fridays of the year.
** Ideas and contributions are welcome. Call 215-3232.
** Deadline for Next Issue: Thursday, July 16, 2009.
** May be copied and forwarded via neighborhood e-mail lists and
newsletters.
** See past issues at our Website:
www.cityofknoxville.org/neighborhoods
** Don*t have Internet access? Call 215-3232 if you need a copy of a
particular document.
** Published by Office of Neighborhoods, Community Development Dept.,
City of Knoxville.
1. SOUTH HAVEN SELECTS LEADERS, STAGES COMMUNITY DAY
Dr. Pat Polis, pastor of Hillcrest United Methodist Church, will serve
as the president of the South Haven Neighborhood Association for the
year beginning July 1, replacing Pat Harmon, who was named secretary.
Other new officers are Lyn Sterchi, vice-president, and Amy Leslie,
treasurer. New board members elected to two-year terms are Audrey
Williams, Pat Klein, Cynthia Andresen, and Suzanne McGee. Helen Coley
was elected to a one-year term. Board members with one year left to
serve are Oliver Tipton, Wanda King and Joy Moody.
Meanwhile, the South Haven Neighborhood Association and Hillcrest
United Methodist Church are sponsoring the third annual South Haven
Community Day on Saturday, July 11, at Maynard Glen Ball Park, from 4 pm
to 8 pm. The park is located on McClung Avenue at Hackman Avenue. There
will be free hot dogs and drinks, games for the kids, a music concert
and drawings for door prizes.
2. COUNCIL EXPECTED TO POSTPONE FLENNIKEN VOTE
City Council on Tuesday is expected to postpone consideration of the
controversial Flenniken School project until August 25.
Southeastern Housing Foundation, a nonprofit developer of affordable
housing, is proposing to convert the vacant and dilapidated Flenniken
School building off Chapman Highway into permanent supportive housing
for 48 chronically homeless individuals.
The development would help the Mayors* Office of the Ten Year Plan to
End Chronic Homelessness meet its goal of housing approximately 800
chronically homeless individuals by 2016. But in June the Metropolitan
Planning Commission voted 12-1 to deny Southeastern*s request for a
*use on review* so that the building could be used for
multi-family residential. Southeastern appealed the decision to City
Council, and the matter is on the agenda for Council*s July 14
meeting.
However, at Council*s June 30 meeting, Vice Mayor and City Council
Member Bob Becker indicated he will be out of town July 14 and asked
other Council members to postpone the vote so he can participate in the
decision. Other Council members indicated they, too, will be absent at
subsequent Council meetings on July 28 and August 11.
Southeastern stated it wanted the appeal heard as soon as possible, but
now the consensus seems to be that the appeal can be heard at
Council*s scheduled Aug. 25 meeting, when all Council members are
expected to be present. Council must vote at its next meeting to approve
the postponement. No special called meeting is scheduled or
anticipated.
A use on review appeal is voted up or down at a single meeting.
For more on the Ten Year Plan, see www.tenyearplan.org.
3. TASK FORCE TO HOST PUBLIC MEETINGS ON RIDGES, SLOPES
The Joint City-County Task Force on Ridge, Slope and Hillside
Development and Protection is hosting a series of eight public meetings,
beginning Monday, July 13, across Knoxville and Knox County to present
the proposals suggested by the task force and gather feedback from the
public.
See http://www.knoxmpc.org/hillside/index.htm for the times and
locations of the public meetings.
Established last spring, the Task Force was set up to study, evaluate,
and plan for appropriate means by which to assure conservation,
development, and protection of ridges, slopes, and hillsides within
Knoxville and Knox County.
Conserving ridges, slopes, and hillsides can have many benefits,
including protection of aesthetic qualities, provision of wildlife
habitat, and avoidance of negative water, air, and flooding issues.
For more information about the Task Force, co-chaired by County
Commissioner Tony Norman and City Councilman Joe Hultquist, visit
http://www.knoxmpc.org/hillside/. You may also contact Liz Albertson
with the MPC at 215-2500.
4. NEW MAPPING VIEWER PROVIDES ACCESS TO 17,000 MPC CASES
A new online mapping application provides, free of charge, web-based
access to details on 17,000 MPC cases dating from the early 1980*s to
the present.
MPC*s Geographic Information System (GIS) staff, working with the
staff from the Knoxville - Knox County - Knoxville Utilities Board GIS
(KGIS), have launched a preliminary version of the Mapping Viewer at
http://www.kgis.org/mpccases.
The new mapping application makes a large quantity of MPC case history
readily available to the general public. In some instances, these cases
reach back as far as the early 1980*s, providing the ability to
achieve an in-depth understanding of the area*s recent development
history.
Visit http://www.knoxmpc.org/gis/case_mapping/index.htm to learn more
about and try out the new MPC Case Mapping Viewer.
5. PLANS MOVE FORWARD TO REDISTRICT KNOX COUNTY
At its July 8 meeting, the Knox County Redistricting Committee
unanimously voted to send Plan 3A to the full Knox County Commission for
consideration.
View the plan and supporting data at
http://www.knoxmpc.org/redistricting.
Because of a new Charter Amendment reducing the number of County
Commissioners, the Knox County Commission was charged with the task of
redistricting to ensure equal representation. The Redistricting
Committee considered several reapportionment plans before voting to move
Plan 3A forward for consideration by the full Commission.
To read a prior Advisory Newsletter article about the redistricting
plans, see item two in our June 12 issue. Visit
www.cityofknoxville.org/neighborhoods and click on *Weekly
Newsletter*.
6. MPC ADOPTS MAGNOLIA AVENUE CORRIDOR PLAN
The Metropolitan Planning Commission on July 9 unanimously approved the
Magnolia Avenue Corridor Plan and associated amendments to the Central
City and East City sector plans.
The corridor plan and sector plan amendments now go to City Council for
consideration, perhaps as early as late July or early August. For a copy
of the plan, see:
http://agenda.knoxmpc.org/2009/Jul09/draft_magnolia_may2009.pdf
A hard copy of the plan is available for review at MPC offices on the
fourth floor of the City-County building. Call 215-2500.
According to MPC Executive Director Mark Donaldson, the Magnolia Avenue
corridor *is seen as the last major wedge of land and transportation
systems that could be further revitalized within the neighborhoods known
as the *Heart of Knoxville.** Previous plans to address issues in
or adjacent to other Heart of Knoxville neighborhoods cover the South
Waterfront, Cumberland Avenue, Fort Sanders and Downtown North.
*The purpose of this plan is to create opportunities to enhance
development along the Magnolia corridor, including the north end of
downtown, the Hall of Fame/Caswell Park area, Burlington and the areas
in between,* Donaldson stated in a memo to the commission. The plan
calls for:
** Opportunities for more intense, mixed-use development, including a
vertical mix of retail, housing and office uses.
** Conservation, restoration and reuse of historic resources.
** Improvements to the sidewalk, bicycle and street systems, including
standards for on- and off-street parking, fostering greater intensity in
development.
** Improvements to parks and open spaces, including new squares,
day-to-day access to Chilhowee Park and completion of the First Creek
Greenway.
The plan also calls for mixed-use development in five districts along
Magnolia, and so MPC is suggesting that Council amend the two sector
plans to reflect these planned mixed uses. However, no current zoning or
uses are affected. Any changes for individual properties or the corridor
as a whole would still need to go through a public review process.
7. KNOX HERITAGE LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
Knox Heritage announces the launch of its revamped web site,
www.knoxheritage.org, designed to update, inform, and connect site
users.
The web site will be used to distribute the latest news and information
on historic preservation efforts in our community and beyond. It will
offer site visitors the opportunity to learn about Knox Heritage's
initiatives, programs, workshops, educational sessions, and special
events.
Site visitors will also be able to connect with others interested in
preserving Knox County's significant structures and places, and a
special "Members Only" section will be offered to Knox Heritage donors.
More information, photos, and other features will be added to the web
site in the coming weeks.
Knox Heritage advocates for the preservation of places and structures
with historic or cultural significance. The non-profit organization
celebrates its 35th year in 2009. For more information, visit
www.knoxheritage.org.
8. NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS AND MEETINGS
Include your neighborhood event or meeting in this space. Call
215-3232.
Monday, August 3 - 5:30 p.m.
COIN - Council of Involved Neighborhoods
Monthly Meeting (First Monday of the month)
CAC/Luke Ross Building, 2247 Western Avenue
http://www.councilofinvolvedneighborhoods.org/
Contact Ed Eckenrod at ed...@comcast.net or 361-2497.
Tuesday, August 4
National Night Out
Annual City-Wide Neighborhood Event
Various Locations City-Wide
www.nationalnightout.org
Contact Michele Goldsberry at mgold...@cityofknovxille.org or
215-8618
Thursday, August 6 - 6 p.m.
Partnership for Neighborhood Improvement (PNI)
Monthly Board Meeting (every first Thursday)
Cansler YMCA, Fifth Ave. & Jessamine St.
Contact Gwen Winfrey at 215-2120.
Wednesday, August 12 - 4:30 p.m.
Neighborhood Advisory Council
(Every Second Wednesday except July and Dec.)
CAC/Luke Ross Building, 2247 Western Avenue
http://www.cityofknoxville.org/neighborhoods
Contact David Massey at 215-3232.
Wednesday, August 12 - 11:30 a.m.
Community Forum (every second Wednesday)
Baptist Senior Health Center, 7009 Kingston Pike
Contact Sue Maurer at 690-0269.
9. UPCOMING GOVERNMENT MEETINGS
All meetings will be held in either the Large or Small Assembly Room
unless otherwise noted. For a complete list of meetings of various city
boards and commissions, visit http://www.cityofknoxville.org/calendar/.
If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in
order to attend a public meeting, please contact Stephanie Brewer Cook
at 865-215-2034 or sc...@cityofknoxville.org no less than 48 hours prior
to the meeting you wish to attend.
Tuesday, July 14 and July 28 - 7 p.m.
City Council (every other Tuesday)
http://www.cityofknoxville.org/citycouncil/
Agenda: http://www.cityofknoxville.org/citycouncil/agenda.pdf
Thursday, July 16 - 8:30 a.m.
Historic Zoning Commission (every third Thursday)
http://www.cityofknoxville.org/boards/historic.asp
Thursday, July 16 - 4 p.m.
Board of Zoning Appeals (every third Thursday)
http://www.cityofknoxville.org/boards/zoning.asp
Monday, July 20 and August 3 - 5 p.m.
Knox County School Board Work Session (every third Monday and
every
Monday before regular meeting)
Andrew Johnson Building, 912 South Gay Street
Thursday, July 23 - 9 a.m.
Special Events Community Meeting (every fourth Thursday)
(City services help groups plan events on city property.)
Third Floor, Knoxville Civic Coliseum Ballroom, 500 Howard Baker
Jr. Ave.
Free Parking available at Civic Coliseum Parking Garage
Monday, July 27 - 2 p.m.
Knox County Commission
(Every fourth Monday, Jan.-Oct.) (Every third Monday,
Nov.-Dec.)
http://knoxcounty.org/commission
(Agenda can be downloaded. Click on Agenda Committee, then on
Agenda.)
Thursday, July 30 - 3:30 p.m.
Better Building Board (last Thursday, Jan.-Oct.)
(First Thursday, Dec.)
http://www.cityofknoxville.org/boards/betterbuilding.asp
Thursday, July 30 - 6 p.m.
MPC Public Meeting
(To Address Proposed Sustainable Development Incentive
Program)
www.knoxmpc.org
Wednesday, August 5 - 5 p.m.
Knox County School Board (every first Wednesday)
http://board.knoxschools.org
Thursday, August 13 - 1:30 p.m.
Metropolitan Planning Commission (every second Thursday)
http://www.knoxmpc.org/
Agenda: http://agenda.knoxmpc.org/
Friday, September 25 - 8 a.m.
Advisory Committee, Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness
(Also meets Dec. 18, 2009.)
http://knoxtenyearplan.org/
Public Defender*s Community Law Office
1101 Liberty Street
Deadline for Next Issue: Thursday, July 16, 2009
Submit to: neighb...@cityofknoxville.org
Or call David Massey at 215-3232.