Good morning and welcome back to what has apparently become South Knoxville Week here at Inside of Knoxville! Where were we?
Ah yes. On Monday I wrote about the opening of Old Sevier Market; Tuesday we dove deep into the streets, sidewalks, trails and connections taking shape in and around the Sevier Avenue corridor. Today we’re catching up on development, businesses and events. There’s a lot happening on the other side of those orange barrels!
As promised, let’s start with the Kerbela Temple development appeal, which went before City Council last night and put some of yesterday’s discussion about the South Waterfront’s future to an immediate test.
City Council Grants Kerbela Appeal
City Council voted 5–4 Tuesday night to grant the appeal of the proposed development’s site plan, overturning its Planning Commission approval.
The discussion centered on whether the project’s seven requested deviations from the South Waterfront Form-Based Code could be justified by the challenging hillside site, or whether they would undermine the connected, walkable neighborhood the code was created to guide.
District 1 Councilmember Karyn Adams argued that only one, the setback along Sevier Avenue, met the hardship criteria. Others involved block and lot size, building footprint, ground-floor transparency and the buildings’ relationship to the street.
“This is what deviations are for, not because the form-based code is inconvenient for a particular project,” she said. “Form-based code is not about the use, because we know what is built today may change use multiple times over the next few decades. But the architecture and the form will remain, and that is what will determine whether this community, this city, can interact with this parcel in the way it was intended, as outlined in the South Waterfront Vision Plan and made law in the South Waterfront Code.”
Developer CR Endeavors issued this statement: “We love Knoxville, and we love this site. We believe the proposed 55-and-older community offers a thoughtful next chapter for a property with a long history in South Knoxville. We respect the City Council’s role in this process and will consider its input as we evaluate next steps and develop a path forward.”
From the South Waterfront Advocacy and Advisory Group: “We appreciate Council members for supporting the SWF Vision Plan and associated code, as well as the community effort that produced them. We hope future developers will honor the code and Plan as well.”
Whether CR Endeavors returns with a more appropriate proposal or another developer steps in, Council’s decision sets an important precedent for upholding the code and safeguarding the community vision behind it.
Councilwoman Adams’ closing comments got at something salient that extends beyond this particular property. She had spent the previous evening at neighborhood meetings encouraging residents to participate in the What’s Next Knoxville comprehensive plan surveys and the Hill Avenue public input process (if you weren’t able to attend either of the community input sessions, please take a moment to complete the online survey here). One attendee had asked her: What happens with the input?
“If you’re lucky, this is what happens right here,” she said, describing residents who invested their time in a shared vision that became law and helped guide the South Waterfront’s development. “That did not happen by accident, and it didn’t happen overnight.”
We’ve been asking Knoxvillians to show up for a lot of public planning processes lately. Their willingness to keep doing so depends on some faith that the results will matter. I would have lost a little of mine had the intentionality and effort behind the South Waterfront’s form-based code been brushed aside.
Elsewhere in housing ….
Suttree Condominiums & More
Suttree Condominiums, a LawlerWood development, is fast taking shape at Sevier Avenue and Dixie Street. The ground floor, designed for restaurant or retail space, is accepting lease inquiries; we’ll all be interested to see what goes in.
Upstairs are condos. The project’s floor plans show six one-bedroom units measuring roughly 730–760 square feet and six two-bedroom units at approximately 1,340–1,360 square feet. It’s being marketed alongside sister development Hawthorne, at 464 W. Blount Avenue on the other side of Chapman Highway. Listings include six one-bedroom units (730–760 sf) for $496,500 and six two-bedroom units (1,340–1,360 sf) for $728,500 and $734,500.
Can lil’ ol’ Sevier Avenue command downtown condo prices? I reckon we’ll find out!
Further east in the Old Sevier District, on Island Home Avenue past Norco Metal Finishing, these dwellings have popped up like saplings and I quite like their artsiness. Coincidentally it’s the same architect behind the Kerbela proposal, Michael Graves Architecture.
Business Updates
First up: Buffleheads, Scott and Bernadette Wests’ forthcoming bar in the former Everything Mushrooms space. Scott told me plans have been submitted and awaiting approval, with a target grand opening of March 1, 2027. “Everything takes forever these days,” he said.
The plans include a long bar just inside the giant Sevier Avenue garage doors, which Scott says will stay open whenever the bar is open, plus a second bar in the elevated warehouse area alongside duckpin bowling, dartboards and other games.
Out back by the bike trail: parking for 100 bikes, shuffleboard and outdoor ping pong. The kitchen will emphasize locally created or locally famous food and drinks, while a Spartan trailer will dispense frozen drinks, available alcohol-free or with alcohol floaters.
I had a lovely long chat with Jason Chau of Angry Dumplings, which I crave on a cellular level at least once a week. I like to think that if you are what you eat, I’m 1/7th dumpling (hopefully without too much of the angry).
Jason sees Knoxville’s growth bringing a richer, more varied food scene, with more ethnic communities sharing their cuisines and increasingly adventurous diners eager to try them. Jason recently opened a second Angry Dumplings in Farragut, which he reports is doing very well, and is exploring a third location focused on udon, possibly in Powell.
“The palates are changing and people are demanding more sophisticated food,” he said. “I think it’s been beautiful that South Knoxville has been pushing for a lot of uniqueness, and I can’t wait to see who’s going to come in. And the more people come in, the funner this place becomes.”
That enthusiasm extends beyond the current construction headaches. Bumpy roads and disruption can make everybody grouchy, he acknowledged, but he’s taking the long view.
“You can sacrifice two years, and you get 20 years of reward,” he said. “If you look at business in the right mindset, it’s a long-term perspective.”
Poor karaoke bar Pink Cactus is truly on the frontlines of the roundabout construction. Co-owner/CEO Harold Goldston shared that there are events on the calendar, including First Bass x Planet Doom this Saturday night: “We are still continuing to grow despite the construction mess on our doorstep, can’t wait until that’s over! We are currently ramping up to start hosting holiday parties, we’ve already got a bunch reserved but still have a ton of dates/time slots available for December.
Another Sevier Avenue business that has expanded is Bliss Pilates & Movement, located above Sevier Avenue Burger Company. It opened a second location, Bliss Integrated Wellness, at 3211 South Haven Rd. in the former KnoxFill space that moved to 6204 Chapman Highway.
Mia Piccola, which opened its first brick-and-mortar spot in the Southside Garage building, is expanding its North Broadway coffee shop into the space next door, adding more seating and, eventually, a takeaway food menu.
Cold off the presses, Loyal’s Barber Shop moved from its W. Magnolia location (now Banter Barbershop) to 1119 Sevier Ave. about a year ago. Not exactly breaking news, but better late than never – the caveats of not having a personal beard.
Sage Sauna returns to Trailhead Beer Market on Nov. 1!
SoKno Sourdough opened a storefront in August — I wrote about that here.
A PSA from The Hive next to Honeybee Coffee: “We are OPEN!” The shop says it’s going strong despite changes to hemp laws, with products that meet current requirements and knowledgeable staff who can help you find what you’re looking for.
Events & Entertainment
Music venue The 808 opened earlier this month to great fanfare, including last week’s sold-out Paul Oakenfold and The Crystal Method show, which I’m still having a hard time believing happened on Sevier Avenue. Check the website for upcoming shows; I’ve already got my tickets to The Faint.
Also on the entertainment front, I don’t think our Keith has missed a single production at Borderland Playhouse, the intimate, 60-seat warehouse theater that opened just over a year ago. Next up is Free Spirit Theatre’s five-night run of John by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker, Oct. 21–25. Tickets and showtimes are here.
Meanwhile, Sevier Avenue is already suiting up for Halloween.
Tour de Frights, Knoxville’s first-ever official Halloween costume bike ride presented by The Knoxville Hallows Eve Society, starts at Suttree Landing this Friday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. Hi-Wire Brewing hosts the Dark Market 5:30 – 9 p.m. with 30 vendors selling Gothic and spooky art and wares, followed by its annual Pup-o-Ween dog costume contest and more on Sunday afternoon.
South Knoxville Elementary’s Spooky Streets returns Oct. 23 from 5–7:30 p.m., closing Sevier Avenue from Davenport to Dixie for trick-or-treating and activities. Borderland Butterfly Garden is hosting an Enchanted Garden Trail through its late-fall native plant meadow. Geared toward ages 6–10, it promises more enchantment than terror, though anyone is welcome to wander through. Dogwood Elementary’s Spooktacular Trick-or-Treat runs from 4–6 p.m. if your household has the stamina for a candy doubleheader.
A bit outside the geographic scope of this article but also worth a mention: the 4th annual Hallowings, Island Home Airport’s free aviation trunk-or-treat, returns Oct. 25, from 2–5 p.m.
There’s always something happening along the corridor. Keep an eye on your friendly neighborhood utility pole message board (while they last!), follow your favorite businesses on social media, and of course keep an eye on our 10-Day Planner.
Untapped Potential
All along the waterfront and Sevier Avenue Corridor, there are large and small swaths of prime real estate that are just sitting there beneath kudzu or serving dusty industrial purposes that they’re wildly overqualified for. Were it not for the location, squibbling over the Kerbela site might seem like fighting over a grain of rice compared to other parcels.
For instance, these for-lease 21,676 SF of commercial space at 1640 Island Home Ave. in between River’s Edge apartments and the above-mentioned build. Where once it was valuable for industry to be located along a river or a rail line, times have changed (and, of course, this neighborhood’s rail line has too).
Before somebody inevitably brings it up in the comments, I do get the sense that the Holston Gases property is in very thoughtful hands and headed in a promising direction. The whole corridor, in fact, is giving us plenty to look forward to. I’m so glad we get to watch it take shape.
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