Knox County’s Midway Industrial Park

UPDATE: I attended a community meeting in June at the Thorngrove Community Center. I attended the MPC meeting. I have visited the property in question at least three times since it was proposed as an Industrial Park. I am well aware of this property as I spent nearly all of my life in this area of East Knox County until 1992. This is an informed decision.

UPDATE: I have received a couple of emails from one family and have talked this morning on the phone with this same gentleman concerned about why would I endorse this plan. Here are some of my reasons.

1) West Knoxville is FULL: Many people travel from East Knox County, North Knox County and South Knox County to work in West Knoxville and West Knox County. We have run out of land in West Knoxville to be the employment station for all of Knox County. Everyone can come work in West Knoxville, have a lunch at a nice dining establishment. Go home and complain about all those people in West Knoxville.

2) Location, Location, Location: I told this gentleman find 360 acres with immediate interstate access and if it is in my backyard I will support it.

3) Economic Development: The issues are the same as when Scott Davis ran for County Executive in 1998. The local kids can not find adequate jobs here after graduating from U.T. or Pellissippi or anywhere. Things have gotten better in the past 4 years with new industries like HGTV and Jewelry Television. The jobs that will locate in the Midway Industrial will not be manufacturing, sweat shops. They will be 21st century, World is Flat type of employment. High Tech, Modern jobs.

4) A rising tide lifts all boats: As Knox County has found success with the its business parks (except Eastbridge) and new recruitment efforts. This Rising Tide (a new business park) will lift all the boats (businesses in Knox County)

5) The Time is NOW: If the County doesn’t seize the opportunity now, it will be gone. The argument is made that had the School Board secured land several years ago, the Hardin Valley High School would not be in the shape it is today. I agree. There was adequate property in 2002 on George Williams Road that the Superintendent proposed that should have been purchased it wasn’t and now that is a small reason the School Board can not balance the books. Let’s not make the same mistake with this industrial park. Buy it Now, before options expire and the cost rises. Be prudent with the citizens tax dollars.

There will be more forthcoming.

A week from today the Knox County Commission will be requested to approve the MPC recommendation of a property rezoning for The Development Corporation of Knox County to begin Knox County’s next Industrial Park. The County Commission should approve this rezoning on Monday August 28, 2006 and should not postpone their action for 30 days.

Here are a few Facts concerning the proposed Industrial Park.

There are 363 acres under contract to The Development Corporation of Knox County.

The property is located North of I-40 near the Midway Road interchange.

Knox County has limited inventory of available Business Park property available for a few reasons.

1) Successful recruitment of corporations like Jewelry Television, Brinks Home Security, National Partitions and Tennessee Steel Center. The donation of 160 acres to Knox County for the Tommy Schumpert Park and New Harvest Park.

2) The shortsighted development of Eastbridge Industrial Park in the late 1980’s, with limited transportation access to and from the Park.

Knox County and Knoxville is experiencing unprecedented, positive, national recognition as a great place to live, work and do business.

The MPC (metropolitan Planning Commission) staff compiled a report identifying 15 sites with Knox County at the request of The Development Corporation. The Development Corporation is continuing to look at and analyze these 15 sites.

This Midway location is the only site of its size with direct access to the interstate and appeal to prospective companies.

The Development Corporation has been working for over 10 months with residents to determine their interest or non-interest in selling their property.

The Development Corporation NEVER considered asking County Commission to use eminent domain to acquire any piece of property. It took seven months of negotiation with eight different property owners on ten parcels of property before the Development Corporation had enough property under contract to make it viable to proceed.

ALL PROPERTY OWNERS ARE WILLING SELLERS.

Ten months of negotiation on some properties have resulted in some contracts becoming close to expiring.

The initial rezoning of Industrial was initiated as the process of rezoning takes nearly ten weeks.

The Development Corporation conducted a public hearing on June 29, 2006 at Thorngrove Baptist Church, residents rightly so, objected to the Industrial zone, due to some noxious uses permitted in the Industrial zone. The residents also at the public hearing desire more input into the plan.

Thus resulting in the Development Corporation agreeing to support the MPC staff’s recommendation to rezone the property to Planned Commercial. The Development Corporation also agreed to limit the uses on all this property to those found in the county’s Employment Center zone plus the Shopping Center zone uses on 21 acres adjacent to Midway Road at I-40.

With Planned commercial zoning the Development corporation must obtain site plan and design standards, thus assuring that the local community will have the opportunity for input on how the business park is developed.

With the limited uses of Employment Center zone, the Development Corporation has eliminated the possibility of the more noxious uses found in the Industrial zone.

On July 13, 2006 the MPC approved to rezone this property to planned Commercial by a 12-1 vote. Brian’s Blog was present at the MPC meeting and filed a report. The report is located here. As Brian’s Blog reported 120 people from the community attended this MPC meeting. Brian’s Blog personally counted those community members in attendance.

Brian’s Blog believes that a postponement by the County Commission is irresponsible and any Commissioner that votes to postpone are taking the risk that as one or more purchase contracts expire, it will result in higher land prices to the taxpayers of Knox County taxpayers.

Hopefully our County Commissioners do not want to burden the citizens of Knox County with high land cost, resulting in higher taxes and thus establishing themselves as tax raising Commissioners.

Brian’s Blog will watch the outcome of this action and report back to you, our avid readers.