Lovell housing project gets green light
The development, Union at Smoky Mountain, is located just past Parkside Drive in a vacant, wooded area between Taco Bell and McDonald’s.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the beginning of construction on this incredible property with community members, partners and friends,” said Parker Zee, vice president of development for The Annex Group, which is developing the apartments. “Union at Smoky Mountain is going to be part of Knoxville’s continued growth.
“In recent years, several businesses have launched or expanded here, bringing hundreds of new job opportunities,” Zee said. “As more jobs come to the area, so, too, come more people needing a convenient place to live near work.
“We believe Union at Smoky Mountain will bring more than just a desirable commute,” he said. “It will feature impressive and robust amenities for households to enjoy, including a community center, fitness center, business center, playground and gazebo.”
According to the city’s resolution, it authorizes the mayor “to execute any documents necessary to award an amount not to exceed $750,000 from the Affordable Rental Development Fund to Impact Housing Indiana Corporation for the development of 25 affordable rental housing units to be located at 360 Lovell Road (Parcel ID No. 131 05703) in Council District 2.”
The request for the resolution was made by the city’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Department.
The city’s funding would pay for 25 of the 100 apartments in the development.
“For every $1 we’re putting into this, we’re getting $50 from other places,” DuBose said. “This is a substantial investment in housing.”
Vivian Shipe of East Knoxville, favored the development but urged the city council to not stop there.
“This is what we need,” she said. “But, what I’m coming to speak to you about is we need this everywhere, not just always in West Knoxville … we need you to start courting investors and get into those [other] areas.
“Those are the things I’m hearing from the community,” Shipe added. “We need it especially for our seniors when we’re looking at 1/4th of our community in Knox County being over the age of 65 by 2030.
“We can’t just keep putting everything in 37922, 24, 34 [zip codes],” she said. “We’ve got to start coming this way, so my suggestion is … as we start courting other places to come here, let’s start building … east.”
“I just want to echo that support,” Councilman Nathan Honeycutt said. “I strongly support this development in our community because it will help working families find a place they can call home.
“I think it’s an appropriate location, you know, along a corridor that already has infrastructure in place and utilities and access to transit,” he said. “People will be able to walk to work — they’ll be able to walk to the stores — so it’s going to bring needed housing type to a needed area, and I appreciate that and fully support it.
“I want to acknowledge that I understand people have traffic concerns regarding additional development in that area, and we will continue to work with the city to address those on a reasonable basis,” Honeycutt said. “But for me, you know, the most important thing in this development is that working with the city and [Knoxville Community Development Corporation], we will give more Knoxville families a stable home and an opportunity to build a better future. So, thank you for this development.”
“I want to thank Kevin DuBose [director of Housing and Neighborhood Development for Knoxville], and the Housing and Neighborhood Development team,” Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “I’m really proud of our track record of investing in affordable housing in every part of the city.
“This is another positive step in the right direction to addressing our affordable housing needs,” she said.
“I appreciate director DuBose, and this another example of the good work that they have done,” Councilman Charles Thomas said. “This particular project fits the boxes I like to see checked as far as the location, infrastructure and the range of affordability that it addresses, too, is impressive.”
According to DuBose, the approximately $40 million development would create housing opportunities for people with a range of incomes.
DuBose said all the apartments in the complex would be income-restricted, not just the 25 receiving funding from the city. It would serve households earning 80% or less of the area’s median income. As such a family of four earning $85,000 or less could be eligible.
