KNOXVILLE, TN ( Story courtesy of WVLT) – Emerald Youth is proposing to buy a piece of Chilhowee Park to build a sports and recreation facility.
It’s a big dollar deal currently being discussed that some in East Knoxville said they had no idea about.
A vote to approve the plan is set to happen Tuesday evening at the Knoxville City Council meeting, but there’s a push to delay this.
Dozens gathered on Monday to voice their concerns and frustrations not with Emerald Youth, but with the City of Knoxville.
The plan is for Emerald Youth to put more than $20 million into the area to help with child youth development.
“People are concerned for the last 50 years that there’s been a fence around this property, and now there’s a potential sale of this property that will continue to exclude people who have lived in this community for their entire lives,” said Evelyn Gill.
Gill organized Monday’s meeting with the biggest concern being transparency from the city.
“Delay this vote so that citizens can make sure that then their voice is heard,” Gill continued. “This park represents a huge section of this community that is vital to growth and development of this community.”
Some people also felt that doing this takes away from what they think would be better ideas for Chilhowee Park. They want to see things like greenspaces, historic signage to honor the park’s legacy and other amenities.
“There’s an outrage for this sale in Chilhowee Park,” Vivian Shipe, a neighbor, said. “Let’s develop the park to bring people into the area so that people can enjoy the park and at the same time it helps to grow East Knoxville.”
WVLT News reached out to the City of Knoxville, and a spokesperson provided the following statement:
This administration, in partnership with Sixth District Representative Gwen McKenzie, has prioritized East Knoxville during our second term. This work has been primarily focused along the Magnolia Avenue Corridor, the Burlington Business District and Chilhowee Park. Mayor Indya Kincannon has said on multiple occasions that it is “East Knoxville’s time.” Just like other areas of your city (South Waterfront, North Central and Cumberland to name a few), our efforts east involve a mix of strategic planning, new public infrastructure, and public-private partnerships.
City of Knoxville spokesperson
It is on Knoxville City Council’s agenda to vote on this today (Tuesday). Many in attendance Monday night said they plan to be at the Knoxville City-County Building for it.
