What will the future of Knox County look like?

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - On Sunday, Knox County officials gathered at New Hopewell Elementary School to get community input for its ‘Advance Knox’ plan.

The plan has been an 18-month process and the first time Knox County has created an integrated land use and transportation plan, according to the website.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said this will help young people who can’t find affordable housing.

“This is an exciting part of the process that will help us maintain our hometown charm and ensure our community is a place where everyone, especially young people starting out, can afford to live,” Jacobs said. “I’m looking forward to getting feedback from the community on these scenarios.”

There will be nearly 80,000 new residents by 2040, according to city officials. However, city officials said the community input at the second of three rounds of community input for ‘Advance Knox’ will help deal with that growth.

Knox County Senior Director of Engineering & Public Works Jim Snowden explained the importance of having the community get involved.

“We’re asking the community to look at various scenarios that we’ve put together that we think may be the best ones to move forward with the county. But certainly we want the community to be very involved in that selection and that’s why we are here today,” Snowden said.

The events will present scenarios and strategies based on data and input gathered earlier this spring, officials said.

Additional community input meetings are scheduled to continue Monday, Oct. 3 at Gresham Middle School from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 4 at Cedar Bluff Middle School from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

According to city officials, those interested in virtual participation at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 5 should register ahead of time.

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