Last week I gave you a sneak peek at North Central Village, a new condo development just north of downtown Knoxville. Today's KNS has an article about the redevelopment of that area, which has been dubbed by developers as "Downtown North." In case you're wondering exactly where Downtown North is, here's a rough approximation of its boundaries according to the article:
The redevelopment plans, which will be unveiled in full tonight, call for a mixed commercial and residential area. Most interestingly, the key goal for the area is walkability, which would hopefully make the area an "extension of downtown."
Seeing as how most of the current housing in the area is way more affordable than downtown proper, I would think that making this a walkable (or bikeable) community would attract people who are tired of paying through the nose at the gas pump, but just can't afford, or simply don't want, to live downtown.
What do you think? Can you envision this area as a walkable extension of downtown Knoxville? Is it more realistic to see it as a downtown alternative? And can we be all New York and start calling it NoDo just for fun?
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Downtown North
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4 comments:
I attended the meeting tonight and felt that this was an excellent plan put forth by the city, it just needs a little tweaking here or there.
There were a few naysayers in the crowd, mostly who were adverse to change, and did not care to understand that as they were existing businesses they would be grandfathered in and not subject to the new requirements until they did major renovations.
What I found ironic was one of them admitted that he had a floor in a building he owned that he had not been able to find a tenant for the past 15 years, yet he refused to admit that the changing the status quo would help.
I have posted about the meeting in more detail on my personal blog if you are interested: http://tnrkitect.livejournal.com/
Thanks for the link to your blog. I just read your write-up on the meeting and left a comment over there.
There will always be naysayers and people who just plain don't like change, but I really do think this plan sounds promising. I know quite a few people have been pouring their hearts and souls into that area for some time in order for this type of redevelopment to take place and I really do hope it works out.
i'm not sure if the fourth and gillians and old northers will appreciate being lumped into NoDo. But as a Mechanicsvillian, I' excited that the netherworld around w. 5th ave. is being addressed, as it's an under-recognized link in the inner city neighborhoods. however, the "homeless district" at the center of things continues to be an issue (and expanding). we need a no loitering zone on broadway that's strictly enforced. otherwise NoDo will never be as successful as it could be.
ck-
Yeah, NoDo is probably a no go for the folks in 4th and Gill (and sorry my map of the area is pretty off).
I lived on the very edge of Old North Knox all through the 90s, back in the 5th Ave Motel hayday, when it wasn't nothin' for some dude to jump in your back seat at a stoplight. Not to carjack you or anything, just to hitch a ride and/or chat. That makes for amusing stories now, but it wasn't so funny when I lived there and I'm sure that sort of thing, as you say, will keep the area from being all it can be.
Re: loitering - tnrktect made the point on his blog that police presence in the form of foot and bicycle officers will really be necessary to help deter loitering in that area. I just hope the city can find some money for that in its budget.
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