"Riverwalk" starting at Standard Knitting Mill?

A letter in the MetroPulse suggests that Standard Knitting Mill and the First Creek area could be the perfect place to start a "Riverwalk."

Letter: Repurposing Standard Knitting Mill � Metro Pulse:

First Creek runs directly by the building on the North 6th Avenue side, making it seem like some kind of surreal industrial Parisian dream. In 2004 Jack Neely wrote an article laying out the ways in which Knoxville could learn from San Antonio, and I think this would be the perfect place to start a riverwalk. Beautifying this section of First Creek would work along side with the arts, and be an awesome project for a garden district.

First Creek can definitely use some improvements.  The Standard Knitting Mill site is in fact a barrier to the linkage between Upper First Creek Greenway and Lower First Creek Greenway.

A Riverwalk might be feasible here, connecting what the letter writer calls the "arts and gardens district" to the riverfront via Caswell Park, Magnolia Avenue, and the Old City.  A dog park even sits along the way.

The link from Lower First Creek Greenway to Volunteer Landing might be the city's low-hanging fruit in terms of greenway feasibility.  The city or quasi-government entities own most of the property along the way.  Where it does not, an abandoned Southern Railway right-of-way carves a path through the parcels to the Old City, where Willow meets up with Central.  

Despite this "easy picking," the link is not without challenges.  There are no Willows on Willow Street - but rather a string of businesses that one neighborhood resident calls Knoxville's "Rust Belt." During weekdays, this avenue is brimming with the saws and hammers of a pallet recycling operation, where business has boomed to allow expansion to the former Knoxville Foundry. 

Therein lies a problem: this link from the historic Knoxville "suburbs" of North Knoxville, Park City, and Burlington is barricaded by a zone of serious industrial activity - including the former "Chicken City" plant - now home to Knox Rail Salvage - a place that looks like it would be a smart place to hole up in the event of zombie apocalypse.  

If I were an inattentive cyclist, I might've even been sideswiped by the inattentive sunglass wearing pilot of a forklift down at Knoxville Pallet Recyclers.  To be fair, he wasn't expecting my silent approach on my trusty cannondale.

In essence, there is no safe passage here.  Focusing efforts on completing the greenway via public land and abandoned right-of-way could provide that key link from Knoxville's "arts and gardens" district to the riverfront.  Perhaps the "riverwalk" could come to fruition, with applied focus and determination of North Knoxville, Park City, Belle Morris, and the "bedroom neighborhoods" of the Knoxville's of yesteryears. 

Public Parks, Trails Entice "Leisure Tourists" to Knoxville

Knoxville is not a vacation destination in the sense that nearby Sevier County is.  But it's certainly worth a weekend or day trip.  That's the angle being promoted by the City of Knoxville to draw tourism dollars to the city cash registers.

And the city's "green infrastructure" is part of that enticement, according to a Knoxville News Sentinel editorial, the city's growing "green" infrastructure complements the growing and revitalizing built and cultural infrastructure of the center city.

Editorial: Visit Knoxville wise to market to leisure tourists � Knoxville News Sentinel: Providing the yin to downtown’s yang is the South Knoxville Urban Wilderness Corridor. Made up of Ijams Nature Center, William Hastie Natural Area, Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area and other public parks and trails, the urban wilderness offers a serene outdoor playground just minutes from downtown’s urban bustle. There is abundant space for hiking, biking, canoeing and other outdoor activities.

As we decide as a community how to spend our infrastructure dollars, it is important to remember the economic value of a new greenway, trail, or green space in light of the ability to draw regional visitors to the area.

It might not amount to a week long stay at an area hotel, but both sales tax and take home tips in the pockets of our merchants and wait staff is an indirect benefit of a complete package of cultural and outdoor recreation opportunities in the City that make Knoxville an enjoyable place to live and visit.