Update: Kerbela Project to be heard at Thursday's Planning Commission meeting

[Janice Tocher]

Greetings neighbors...

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Update from SWAAG on the proposed Kerbela Development

The Kerbela Development Proposal is up for review again at Planning Commission, this Thursday, July 9th. The hearing was postponed in June at the developer’s request in order to have time to work with the City and community on design issues. CRE (the developer) has been working with the City, but there has been no communication between them and SWAAG or, to our knowledge, any other community organizations, since before the May PC meeting.  

New files were submitted by CRE and can be viewed starting on page 19 in the case file. Link to the case file here:

https://agenda.knoxplanning.org/2026/july/4-A-26-OB.pdf

The South Waterfront Advisory and Advocacy Group (SWAAG) is still reviewing the updated plans and will be submitting a detailed statement to the Planning Commission shortly. Our initial comments to the Administrative Review Committee (ARC) are attached.

It's vital for the Planning Commission to hear from the community.  You can make your comments on Planning’s website: https://knoxplanning.org/cases/4-A-26-OB.  Comments can be submitted up to noon on Thursday, July 9, but should be sent ASAP because Commissioners will be reviewing those in preparation for the meeting. You can also view the revised plan and City and Planning Commission staff reports at that site. Even if you have shared a comment before, the designs are new and revised with different solutions being suggested. 

It's also important for the community to be well-represented at this meeting. Please try to attend if possible. The meeting starts at 1:30 p.m.

The latest revisions primarily focus on the addition of a tunnel connecting the ridge-top trail to the south side of the site. While this provides a north-south pedestrian connection, it is neither pedestrian-friendly nor consistent with the goals of the South Waterfront Vision Plan. Instead, it reinforces the developer's apparent intent to isolate this development from the surrounding community. Gated communities are expressly prohibited by the Vision Plan and Form-Based Code for this very reason. A central goal of the Vision Plan is to reconnect neighborhoods to the river through an interconnected network of streets, sidewalks, trails, parks, and public spaces—not to allow developments that function as isolated compounds.

For an urban development intended to serve an aging population, the lack of ADA-accessible access points is particularly concerning. Ground-level ADA access should be provided from both Dawson Street and Mimosa Avenue. Given the site's location at the southern terminus of the Gay Street pedestrian bridge to downtown, as well as its proximity to nearby commercial districts and the trail network, the development should provide convenient, accessible pedestrian connections for residents with mobility limitations who wish to take advantage of these community amenities.

Key SW Code Requirements that are still missing from this design proposal include:

1. Block size, lot size, and maximum footprint has not been addressed. 
2. 0' setbacks have not been addressed on Mimosa/Kerbela or Dawson
3. Ground floor transparency is still underused. 
4. Ground floor retail accommodations are still not incorporated. 
5. Surface parking taking up a huge expanse of the pedestrian edge along Mimosa.
6. Blank garage walls. 

If you are interested in speaking at the Planning Commission meeting, please let Janice Tocher know so we can coordinate speakers and talking points. Public comment time is limited, so coordinating our presentations will help ensure the most effective use of the time available.

Janice Tocher's contact information:

Phone: 865-661-1685

Email: jan...@averra.com

Check the Planning Commission website for SWAAG comments on the latest revision later today.

Feel free to share this message with any who may have an interest in this development or the South Waterfront. If you have questions, please contact Rachel Craig at rlc...@usit.net, 865-919-3476.

Thanks!

South Waterfront Advisory and Advocacy Group

[sylviaw...@aol.com]

Did you say anywhere the time of the meeting on Thursday?

Sylvia

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[Janice Tocher]

The meeting starts at 1:30 p.m. This case is agenda item #22 - there are several cases before this one.

Here’s a complete agenda:

https://agenda.knoxplanning.org/2026/july/blues/agenda.pdf

Of note: there are some items that will be heard on consent (meaning there will be no discussion). This list will be posted on the site tomorrow.

Greetings neighbors...

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South Waterfront Advisory and Advocacy Group=