"Transit on Tap" listening sessions

"Our Trolleys on Tap outreach indicated that there were a lot of people in these close-in neighborhoods who were interested in transit services"

 

• Wednesday, Nov. 9, 5 – 6:30 p.m., Last Days of Autumn Brewing Co., 808 East Magnolia
• Friday, Nov. 11, 7:30 – 9 a.m., Wild Love Bakehouse, 1625 North Central Ave.

 

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/kat-holding-transit-on-tap-sessions/334931896

Fwd: Opportunity to reclaim historic African American Heritage site, "Chestnut View Park"

Good afternoon,

I'm writing to share what I see as an opportunity to reclaim a historic African American heritage site in East Knoxville.

I'd like to ask if Legacy Parks could be convinced to secure a hilltop parcel up for sale to develop as part of a 2016 version of 1919's "Chestnut View Park," an important community gathering spot for the African American community in segregated early 20th century segregated Knoxville:
​

Chestnut View Park was the segregated alternative to Chilhowee Park and was made available by the generosity of East Knoxville leader Charles Stafford (pictured below). His decedents still own property on Chestnut Ridge.

​

Chestnut Ridge was a key site in Knoxville's Black History and moreover, the site falls within the MPC hilltop protection plan designed to protect scenic vistas in Knoxville.

Besides historical significance, the parcel offers exemplary  views of the smokies and Park City a mere 2 miles from downtown (see photo below):

​

City of Knoxville already owns one 100' x 120' parcel on the ridge;

Here's the privately owned parcel for sale:

There's a 100'  x 65' vacant wooded lot for sale on Chestnut Ridge for sale listed at $13,900:

parcelid=082JA021
​

I am wondering, what might it take for Legacy Parks to acquire the parcel to secure as part of a 2016 vision for a revived Chestnut View Park?

This would preserve the hilltop, secure the exemplary view for the public's enjoyment, and honor local black history. It seems to me to be a win-win-win.

It also works toward a personal vision I hold: a possible greenway path from 1st Creek Greenway at the 6th Avenue mural site to Zoo Knoxville using undeveloped alleyways, TDOT land, and unused trails on Zoo Knoxville property for a lovely wooded trail from downtown to the Zoo and Chilhowee Park (please see rough concept attached for more).

Please let me know what it might take for Legacy Parks to pursue development of a Chestnut View Park for 2016.

Thanks,

Tanner

Re: First Creek Greenway Route Along Willow Avenue Not Desired Path

Joe, Brian, Chris, and Dawn:

Last summer I sent an e-mail illustrating what I think most East Knox residents' want for Lower First Creek Greenway to the Old City: "First Creek Greenway Route Along Willow Avenue Not Desired Path." 

The contractor is calling this path Corridor E (see image below):

I'm grateful to see the contractor's latest proposal for Corridor I (Lower First Creek Greenway Extension) follows the abandoned Southern RR grade along First Creek.

However, at Willow Avenue, where corridor "I" (Lower First Creek Greenway) joins "E" (Old City Greenway) the contractor's plans indicate the true creekside route is an "alternate route."

Did the contractor offer a rationale for ranking the creekside route as an "alternate" behind the Willow Avenue route?

I understand a creekside routing is more complicated than the Willow Avenue routing - however I think developing plans Willow Avenue sidewalk as a greenway over the true creekside route shortchanges East Knoxville taxpayers. 

I also want to point out a recent development that has bearing on Corridor E and the "alternate" route:

You may have seen in the news that Randy Boyd purchased a set of properties that would make a creekside route on the south side of First Creek less complicated, if Boyd were to support an easement across one of the parcels he just acquired - see below:

In the image above from WATE news/KGIS, please note the parcel in the lower left hand corner at the intersection of Willow Avenue and Patton St. The parcel has most recently been used to park tractor trailers. It abuts with the parcel immediately to the right owned by Knox Housing Authority for the Austin Homes development - a parcel that stretches along the South side of the creek towards the Willow Avenue bridge over First Creek. 

The parcel changing hands to a new owner invested in the Old City's success seems to open up the possibility for a genuine "creekside" greenway following the south side of First Creek.

I'd like to suggest the city office of redevelopment and the greenways commission look in to Boyd's receptivity to a greenway easement across the parcel at Willow and Patton. If the new owner is receptive to a greenway easement on that parcel, it'd be a good opportunity to add a new waterfront park (such as it is) right in the Old City.  The creekside route is also flatter - a plus for bike commuters from East Knoxville to downtown.

I'd also like to see the city pursue Corridor E routing on the south side of First Creek as the "primary" route, rather than the "alternate" route. 

As a runner, dog walker, and biker, I feel strongly that keeping greenways away from roads wherever possible should be a priority for the city - even in the inner city.

Thanks,

Tanner

Re: Next Meeting June 14th

Hello Greenways Commission friends!

Quick message to share good news that Knoxville's newest greenway mural is just under 100% complete - but there's one last chance to help out before the big party July 10.

If you have time this weekend, our local "force of nature" behind the new mural, Chris Irwin, put out a call for helpers to apply the anti-graffiti top coat this weekend.

I put him in the "to" line of this this e-mail--  if you can help, Chris has the details.

I also wanted to encourage you to plan on going to the Sunday, July 10, 2 PM mural celebration at Tyson Park- and bring your friends!

You can RSVP via Facebook or just mark your calendar - they'll have music and amazing people.

Finally - 

These news pieces might help you recruit friends to join the celebration - great videography from WBIR:

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/five-at-four/third-creek-greenway-mussel-mural/251491392

And a recent highlight from the city blog:

http://knoxvilletn.gov/blog/one.aspx?portalId=132035&postId=4394525&portletAction=viewpost

Finally here's a panorama shot I grabbed off Facebook:

​

Big change from before, right?

Have a great weekend!

-Tanner

On Wed, Jun 15, 2016 at 11:40 PM, Tanner Jessel <mountainsol@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello!

Here is a photo of the mural progress on third creek greenway near Tyson Park!

If you would like to help - or know someone who might like to help paint - the artist could use a hand!

If painting is not your thing - make sure you mark your calendar for the mural celebration to take place at Tyson Park Sunday, July 10 at 2 PM, Tyson Park!

Join the Center for Biological Diversity and allies for a fun-filled event to celebrate a new Endangered Species Mural in Knoxville. The giant mural will feature freshwater mussels and fishes of the Tennessee River, a world hotspot for freshwater biodiversity. We are super excited to celebrate its many amazing endangered species and their fascinating underwater lives. Afterall, how many chances do you get to come to a party for the Pink Mucket Pearly Mussel?! Smiley and the Lovedawg will be playing at the celebration. Local groups include Conservation Fisheries, Tennessee Clean Water Network, Harvey Broome Group Sierra Club, and others. (Photo credit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Find the latest at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1718143271754229/

​

​

-Tanner

On Mon, Jun 6, 2016 at 9:57 AM, Brian Hann <brian@dewhirstproperties.com> wrote:

Hello Greenway Commission,

Next Tuesday June 14th is our next meeting.

Could you all send Lori a head shot of yourselves in a neutral background.  If you don't have one we will be taking them at the next meeting.  Hope to see everyone there.

Have a great week!

--

Brian Hann

Chair| COK Greenway Commission

mobile : 865.382.6061 / office : 865.971.3137 / fax : 865.971.3138 

Baker Creek Preserve to add trail miles to Urban Wilderness

Baker Creek Preserve to add trail miles to Urban Wilderness:



The Baker Creek Preserve will be added to Knoxville's Urban Wilderness, which currently includes 1,000 acres and more than 40 miles of multiple-use trails. The eight new trails at the Baker Creek Preserve will range in difficulty from beginner to expert. Work this week began on a steep, challenging downhill mountain bike trail called the "Devil's Racetrack" that's funded by a $100,000 Bell Helmets grant awarded to Knoxville's Appalachian Mountain Bike Club after a nationwide competition.

Knoxville police investigate March 3, 2016 afternoon hiking trail attack

Knoxville police investigate Ijams attack, search for possible suspect:



The incident happened around 1:40 p.m. near Meads Quarry and about a mile from the main trail head.

The woman told police a man tried to grab her from behind, but she was able to run away, according to Knoxville Police spokesperson Darrell DeBusk. She was not injured.

Knoxville police investigate March 3, 2016 afternoon hiking trail attack

Knoxville police investigate Ijams attack, search for possible suspect:



The incident happened around 1:40 p.m. near Meads Quarry and about a mile from the main trail head.

The woman told police a man tried to grab her from behind, but she was able to run away, according to Knoxville Police spokesperson Darrell DeBusk. She was not injured.

Knoxville police investigate March 3, 2016 afternoon hiking trail attack

Knoxville police investigate Ijams attack, search for possible suspect:



The incident happened around 1:40 p.m. near Meads Quarry and about a mile from the main trail head.

The woman told police a man tried to grab her from behind, but she was able to run away, according to Knoxville Police spokesperson Darrell DeBusk. She was not injured.

Knoxville police investigate March 3, 2016 afternoon hiking trail attack

Knoxville police investigate Ijams attack, search for possible suspect:



The incident happened around 1:40 p.m. near Meads Quarry and about a mile from the main trail head.

The woman told police a man tried to grab her from behind, but she was able to run away, according to Knoxville Police spokesperson Darrell DeBusk. She was not injured.

Knoxville police investigate March 3, 2016 afternoon hiking trail attack

Knoxville police investigate Ijams attack, search for possible suspect:



The incident happened around 1:40 p.m. near Meads Quarry and about a mile from the main trail head.

The woman told police a man tried to grab her from behind, but she was able to run away, according to Knoxville Police spokesperson Darrell DeBusk. She was not injured.

Knoxville police investigate March 3, 2016 afternoon hiking trail attack

Knoxville police investigate Ijams attack, search for possible suspect:



The incident happened around 1:40 p.m. near Meads Quarry and about a mile from the main trail head.

The woman told police a man tried to grab her from behind, but she was able to run away, according to Knoxville Police spokesperson Darrell DeBusk. She was not injured.

Knoxville police investigate March 3, 2016 afternoon hiking trail attack

Knoxville police investigate Ijams attack, search for possible suspect:



The incident happened around 1:40 p.m. near Meads Quarry and about a mile from the main trail head.

The woman told police a man tried to grab her from behind, but she was able to run away, according to Knoxville Police spokesperson Darrell DeBusk. She was not injured.

UT Facilities Services Beautifies Second Creek Greenway Corridor for Tennessee Arbor Day 2016

Tennessee Arbor Day 2016

Eighty UT students volunteered on Tennessee Arbor Day to plant 1000 sapplings along Second Creek.

Posted by UT Facilities Services on Monday, March 7, 2016

Cyclists speak out on debate over gas tax | WBIR.com

Cyclists speak out on debate over gas tax | WBIR.com:

Now, some lawmakers are pushing an idea to ensure that money goes to improving roads and bridges only servicing cars, motorcycles, and trucks.

House Bill 1650 would restrict gas tax funds from going towards pedestrian, bicycle, and other non-vehicular facilities.

Public Meeting Feb. 24 on Fort Dickerson Park Improvements ...

Public Meeting Feb. 24 on Fort Dickerson Park Improvements ...:

Additionally, City Parks and Recreation has $275,000 in funding to improve access to the quarry lake and the overlook. City officials will be seeking input on the entrance and park improvements and provide an update on management of the quarry lake this spring.

"Public Riverwalk at River's Edge Taking Shape"

The section of public riverwalk at the River's Edge apartment complex on Island Home Avenue is taking shape!In the...

Posted by City of Knoxville - Government on Tuesday, February 2, 2016

The Dutch Are Building an Eco-Friendly Bike Lane Out of Recycled Wood Chips - CityLab

The Dutch Are Building an Eco-Friendly Bike Lane Out of Recycled Wood Chips - CityLab:

A city in the Netherlands is trying out what might be the most Dutch plan yet conceived: a bike path made of recycled wood. The first of its kind in the world, the proposed path near the city of Emmen would be surfaced not with the usual asphalt or tarmac but with paving slabs formed from wood chips packed together with organic resin. To give the path an even daintier carbon footprint, it will be lit with eco-dynamic LED lighting made with bio-composite that lights brightly only when passing riders trigger sensors.

Feedback on Proposed Downtown Trolley Changes

Belinda,

Please find my reaction to proposed changes in the online document, which I have also copied and pasted into this e-mail below:

There's no CBID Police.

Strict adherence to Central Business Improvement District (CBID) boundaries fails to support business improvements on the periphery that both complement and strengthen the overall CBID.  

Further, reluctance to stray from the confines of the district actually precludes service to destinations and residences on the periphery of the CBID, such as The Foundry (Restaurant), The International (Music Venus), Southeastern Glass Lofts, Maplehurst Park.

While the CBID boundary is a helpful guide, it is not an electric fence. Treating it as a rigid boundary limits the effectiveness of KAT in supporting economic development goals of the CBID.

KAT should show a bit less temerity here: the goal of the CBID is clearly to improve business.

KAT garnered an abundance of public comments supporting service beyond the current CBID boundary; yet, the changes proposed actually *contract* the existing served areas, the least justifiable of which is the shortening of the existing Gay Street route.

Why's KAT Not Complementing City efforts on incentivizing N. Gay Development?

Contraction of the existing Gay Street route overlooks recent and ongoing public and private investment and "livable city" amenities, simply because those amenities literally fall on the "wrong side" of the tracks; namely:

1. Public House
2. Tenn. Valley Bicycles
3. Marie's Old Towne Tavern
4. Greyhound Bus Station
5. Theatre Knoxville Downtown
6. Blue Sip Winery / Events Center
7. White Lily Flats (lofts)
8. Rocky Top Cross Fit Studios
9. Regas redevelopment (retail / residential)
10. City Surface Parking Lot under I-40
11. City Surface Parking Lot at Jackson Ave. & Gay St.

The businesses listed above aren't served by an existing KAT route linking downtown, despite contributing to a a cohesive "center city" business and residential experience.  

They're the kind of investments in the center city the CBID was designed to inspire. Referencing the map of the standard KAT system, there's a large service gap in this area of town. The argument that the area is well-served by existing routes falls on its face.

Why No East-West oriented Old City Route via Jackson?

Lumping two areas of interest into one route fails to support a cohesive transit experience, a contributing element in the wayfinding and placemaking experience.

In the current proposal offered, Jackson Avenue is not being served in its entirety, even though it is entirely within the CBID and is regarded as a re-development "success story."

If the planned demolition / rebuilding of the Jackson Avenue ramps is a limiting factor, can you not fit a trolley *under* the Gay Street Viaduct (not even one-way), serving a city parking lot while also bypassing the ramps altogether?

Can you then not continue on to West Jackson Avenue, serving galleries, award winning restaurants, Southeastern Glass Lofts, a new brew pub, and then cross Broadway on World's Fair Drive to access The Foundary, World's Fair Park / KMA / Convention Center / Sunsphere / Chocolate Factory Lofts?

On the return route, parallel Gay Street on State Street, connecting even more garages with the Old City, cruising past Marble Alley Lofts, State Street Garage, and the municipal garage behind Mast General.

Gay Street Should Intersect, Not Combine with Old City Route

Gay Street is a special, uniquely "Knoxville" experience and should have its own line, complementing a generally east-to-west orientation of a separate "Old City" route

10 blocks of Gay Street earned Knoxville recognition for "2012's Top 10 Great Streets" by American Planning Association (APA).  Trolleys were mentioned as a contributing milestone of great planning.  Let's continue that great planning by recognizing and rewarding the momentous growth at both ends of Gay Street with Trolley service.

Failing to include the South Riverfront at this time will only force a repeat planning process with more maps, public meetings, and input.  Let's be proactive.

Vol Trolley East-West Route Should Be Expanded, Not Shortened.

Your proposed change to the Vol Trolley cuts the service area without first seeking out efficiencies. It makes sense that the Vol Trolley would be the largest route, as it links two high-density communities: downtown Knoxville and the University.

Dropping the cross town connection doesn't really address underlying problems of congestion and geographic distribution of the busses.

First: why is KAT serving the congested heart of UT Campus at all?  Your vehicles will inevitably jammed up behind northbound First Transit buses at Volunteer Blvd. and Cumberland Ave for the simple reason that First Transit busses cannot (as a policy of First Transit) make a right on red. This is First Transit's weakness and should not be KAT's as a consequence of redundant service areas.  

UT students, staff, and faculty already have service in the campus core.  It is a better use of city resources to serve areas not already serviced by First Transit.

I also realize Cumberland is congested, particularly with construction work. Can you not simply avoid the heart of UT campus, taking the existing Trolley "snow route" along Clinch, parallel to and just North of Cumberland?  Note that Clinch borders the North side of UT's "institutional zone," thereby fulfilling the Trolley ordinance's mandate to serve UT community.

Surely this routing would avoid some of the traffic issues encountered along Volunteer Blvd., as well as those created by Cumberland Avenue construction, until Cumberland is once again available for use (I assume Cumberland is your preferred route to University Commons).

It makes sense to me to connect the periphery of the UT Institutional Zone, and to connect campus to major outlying parking areas for "Game Day" destinations on Neyland such as Neyland Stadium, Thompson-Boling Arena, Boathouse Grill, Calhouns, the Vol Navy docks, and Second Creek Greenway and Volunteer Landing.  I imagine ridership would boom on game days.

While it's true this'd be a "mammoth" route, the fact is, UT is a "mammoth" community. "Serving the UT Community" is not a short order and should not be short-changed.

First Transit  already takes advantage of Neyland with "Neyland Express," albeit absent any stops between the UT Ag Campus and Thompson-Boling Arena.  Adding stops on a KAT route would fill a service gap.

Finally, lumping the existing "Downtown Loop" and existing "Gay Street Line" with service to Gay Street fails to capitalize on the "placemaking" ability of transit lines.  

A simple North-South and East-West transit in the center city, with a cross-town "Vol Line" groups the service areas into unique geographic service areas with a center intersecting hub, illustrated below:

Thanks,

Tanner Jessel

4th District Greenways Commission Rep.

2015 Parkridge Community Organization Board Member

On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 3:57 PM, Belinda Woodiel-Brill <bbrill@katbus.com> wrote:

Hello trolley plan participants –

We've got a few themes emerging from our comments that we thought might benefit from some further explanation.  The link below is to a new blog post.

http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/blog/One.aspx?portalId=479244&postId=2358458&portletAction=viewpost

Also remember: the other public open house for the trolley plan is tomorrow (Thursday) from 4pm-6pm at Knoxville Station's community room.  Thanks as always for your interest in our trolley system.

Belinda Woodiel-Brill

Director of Communications and Service Development

Knoxville Area Transit

301 Church Avenue

Knoxville, TN 37915

865-215-7800

bbrill@katbus.com