“The commercial spine of Sevier has faded to a pale copy of its past character.” – 2006 South Waterfront Vision Plan
Twenty-ish years ago, a baby-faced, ambitious city mayor named Bill Haslam invited the city to dream big about what a neglected slice of riverfront – over THERE, see that JFG sign? – could be. Both stakeholders and nosy folks with no real skin in the game, like me, aired our opinions via public forums, captivated by the possibilities for this underutilized stretch of prime real estate – a ghost town with a killer view of downtown – that is so close and yet so far away.
An abundance of ideas emerged, from the pragmatic to the poetic, but the piece everyone could agree on was that the South Waterfront had to become a place where people could:
- Live
- Work
- Gather
- Shop & eat
- Play
Haslam paddled on to deeper waters while Knoxville kept chipping away at the concept he dared us to imagine. Revisiting the 2006 Vision Plan today really puts the progress into perspective. The corridor it described as “faded,” Sevier Avenue, is now bustling with restaurants, breweries, shops, an elementary school, residential developments, at least one monarch waystation, and more, fueled by investments from people who believed in the dream.
The infrastructure, however, has lagged behind. But that is about to change.
Starting Jan. 20, two contractors – Whaley Construction and Southern Constructors Inc. – will begin work on the Sevier Avenue Streetscapes Project. The 18-month, $19.2 million investment will build wide ADA-compliant sidewalks, a new railroad crossing, new streetlights and traffic signals, a roundabout, and upgraded utilities with unsightly utility lines relocated below ground.
A public meeting and open house was held at South Knoxville Elementary on Thursday evening, and various stakeholders – residents, business owners, and more – gathered to review plans and ask questions of engineers and city officials, like Tommy Smith, vice mayor and 1st district councilman.
“The main theme for this, and everything that’s been developed in South Knoxville in the past few years, is connection,” says Smith. “When this is finished, and the rail trail comes together, we’ll have parallel paths that people can walk, bike, and just play on, safely, and connect them to local merchants.”
If it feels like a lot is dovetailing for the South Waterfront all at once – streetscaping, the rail to trail project, announcement of a $24.7M federal RAISE grant for the pedestrian bridge project, closure of the Gay Street Bridge, and more – well, when it rains, it pours. “2025 is the year of bridges,” Smith quips.
Construction will begin soon at the east end of Sevier and work its way westward through mid-2026. The city emphasizes that access to businesses and South Knoxville Elementary will consistently be maintained. Two lanes of traffic flow generally will be open on Sevier Avenue, and when a lane is closed, flaggers will be directing traffic.
Will it be annoying? Probably. But is the payoff worth it, and long overdue? For sure. Consider, for instance, the weird intersection/future roundabout where Sevier Avenue, Foggy Bottom Street and Island Home Avenue converge in front of Landing House. I overheard one Island Home resident at the meeting say his Uber driver recently missed the road and drove them onto the train tracks there, because it’s that confusing.
As with any major corridor improvement project Knoxville has lived through, there are always concerns — especially from merchants. And rightly so. They are, as Smith reminds us, the reason Sevier Avenue is the buzzy destination it is today.
“People forget that the first thing that happened on the South Waterfront was a bunch of brave entrepreneurs opening restaurants and breweries on Sevier Avenue, many of which are still there,” says Smith. “The most important thing now is making sure those merchants get supported during this process.”
The city plans to step in with ideas for events and marketing, and communication will be key. One business owner I spoke with summed up the general mood — a mix of nerves and hope — pretty well: “You know, we know. With the Gay Street Bridge closed and this road all torn up, traffic’s going to slow down. It’s going to be harder to get here. But if folks would just remember us, we’ll be okay.”
As Haslam put it in the intro to the Vision Plan nearly 20 years ago, “We have to be both aggressive and patient.” The sentiment still feels true.
You can keep up with project updates here.
