Community Meeting Summary - September 9, 2018
A second community meeting was held on Sunday, September 9, at SoKno Market to review the recommendations of the John Sevier Scenic Highway Corridor Study.
Approximately 30 people attended and provided their input on the current draft recommendations for the study.
The top three priority recommendations are:
- Request that TDOT complete a Road Safety Audit (RSA) of the entire length of John Sevier Highway.
- Draft and adopt a John Sevier Scenic Highway Corridor Overlay that would address the following:
- Tree protection and replacement along the highway corridor;
- Landscape screening for outdoor storage, display and parking;
- Non-residential design standards; and
- Rural signage standards.
- Form a volunteer-driven scenic highway beautification project for business and property owners that would provide options for existing establishments to beautify their property adjacent to the highway.
Keypad polling was conducted with the group to gauge their support for the corridor overlay and 75% of the participants strongly supported the recommendation. It was noted that it would take an additional 12 months of engagement with the public to draft a corridor overlay ordinance.
Following the presentation was an open house where meeting attendees took part in a visual preference survey for the corridor. They were also asked to provide comments on the potential corridor overlay district map.
The next steps in the project will be to hold a workshop to review the study's findings with the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission and the Knox County Commission.
