Council Members:
I served on the Mayor's Greenways Commission two terms, from January 2013 to mid 2017. I was nominated by my peers to serve as Vice Chair of that Commission. I have studied greenway issues in Knoxville extensively. Please allow me to comment on the proposed transfer of land on the south side of Caswell Park to private developers from my perspective as a former Greenways Commissioner residing in East Knoxville, a community with the fewest greenway miles of any city sector.
Various City officials have stated the parcels at Caswell Park are not part of Caswell Park and / or were never intended for use as park land, despite multiple planning documents, along with the OS-2 zoning itself, showing otherwise.
As early as 1998, City planners envisioned a greenway connection linking Caswell Park to Parkridge Park. Please see the excerpt from the 1998 Caswell Park Study below proposing a greenway trail to "link parks."
In my files, I have a foldable brochure produced by the City of Knoxville Parks Department showing a "First Creek Greenway Plan." It shows a greenway connection across the parcels in question at East Fifth. See the clipping below:
You can find the document online here:
http://www.outdoorknoxville.com/images-outdoors/City%20Greenway%20Map-%202%20pgs.pdf
The brochure notes the First Creek Greenway plan could "become a reality with the right planning and support."
The Knoxville-Knox County General Plan (https://knoxmpc.org/generalplan/action.htm) encourages planners to "emphasize park acquisition along potential greenways."
In my time on the Mayor's Greenways Commission, I was told by planners that building greenways in East Knoxville was difficult because "all the best routes were taken."
If the proposed land transfer goes forward, one of the best routes potentially linking Caswell Park to Parkridge park will be taken. The potential greenway linkage proposed over 20 years ago and in early planning stages as recently as five years ago will be lost forever.
Please do not allow the protective Park and Open Space zoning to be removed for the Caswell Park parcels at Fifth and Myrtle, particularly in light of the potential for a greenway connection linking First Creek Greenway to Parkidge Park, Parkidge Community Garden, and the Knoxville Botanical Garden. These sequential destinations form the core route in my community's proposed "ethnobotanical food corridor" (see attachment).
Thank you,
Tanner Jessel
I served on the Mayor's Greenways Commission two terms, from January 2013 to mid 2017. I was nominated by my peers to serve as Vice Chair of that Commission. I have studied greenway issues in Knoxville extensively. Please allow me to comment on the proposed transfer of land on the south side of Caswell Park to private developers from my perspective as a former Greenways Commissioner residing in East Knoxville, a community with the fewest greenway miles of any city sector.
Various City officials have stated the parcels at Caswell Park are not part of Caswell Park and / or were never intended for use as park land, despite multiple planning documents, along with the OS-2 zoning itself, showing otherwise.
As early as 1998, City planners envisioned a greenway connection linking Caswell Park to Parkridge Park. Please see the excerpt from the 1998 Caswell Park Study below proposing a greenway trail to "link parks."
In my files, I have a foldable brochure produced by the City of Knoxville Parks Department showing a "First Creek Greenway Plan." It shows a greenway connection across the parcels in question at East Fifth. See the clipping below:
You can find the document online here:
http://www.outdoorknoxville.com/images-outdoors/City%20Greenway%20Map-%202%20pgs.pdf
The brochure notes the First Creek Greenway plan could "become a reality with the right planning and support."
The Knoxville-Knox County General Plan (https://knoxmpc.org/generalplan/action.htm) encourages planners to "emphasize park acquisition along potential greenways."
In my time on the Mayor's Greenways Commission, I was told by planners that building greenways in East Knoxville was difficult because "all the best routes were taken."
If the proposed land transfer goes forward, one of the best routes potentially linking Caswell Park to Parkridge park will be taken. The potential greenway linkage proposed over 20 years ago and in early planning stages as recently as five years ago will be lost forever.
Please do not allow the protective Park and Open Space zoning to be removed for the Caswell Park parcels at Fifth and Myrtle, particularly in light of the potential for a greenway connection linking First Creek Greenway to Parkidge Park, Parkidge Community Garden, and the Knoxville Botanical Garden. These sequential destinations form the core route in my community's proposed "ethnobotanical food corridor" (see attachment).
Thank you,
Tanner Jessel
1026 Olive St.
Knoxville, Tenn.
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