Quaterly South Waterfront Newsletter

KNOXVILLE SOUTH WATERFRONT

PROJECT UPDATES
SW Brownfields Grant, S&ME, has prepared a draft database as a starting point to perform petroleum and hazardous substances assessments using a SW $400,000 EPA grant. Several properties have been identified as priority assessment sites, and several property owners have decided to participate in the grant program. Following a series of environmental assessments, the goal of this program is to clear potentially suspect land for redevelopment to avoid permitting delays when a project start-up occurs.

SW-UT PEDESTRIAN / BICYCLE BRIDGE
Lawrie & Associates of Alexandria, Virginia is heading a team of consultants hired to design a
pedestrian/bicycle bridge that will span the Tennessee River from the South Waterfront to the University of Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena. Local firms involved in the project include Wilbur Smith Associates, S&ME, Inc., Carol R. Johnson Associates, Sanders Pace Architecture, the O’Hanlon Group, and Cannon & Cannon. The design contract is federally funded, requiring a 20% city funding match. The contract for the bridge project has been broken down into three phases: Phase 1 – Program Development requires the preparation of a written Design Program, development of the Concept Design, and partial completion of Environmental Documentation and Permitting. Phase 2 – Detailed Project Design takes the selected concept design into design development, construction documentation, and completion of the environmental permitting process. Phase 3 – Construction Engineering and Inspection Services requires consultant services for ensuring that construction meets all quality
standards and contract requirements. The consultant team has received a Notice to Proceed for Phase 1 work only. Data collection and meetings with affected property owners have already occurred, and several “sketch” design alternatives are being evaluated. The “sketch” design alternatives will be refined as more information is collected and preliminary cost estimates are generated. By summer this year, a public workshop will be held to present
the draft Design Program, the Concept Design alternatives (a minimum of 3 bridge options and 2 landing options on either side of the river are called for), and the consultants’ recommendations on the design alternatives. Phase 1 has been formatted as a “narrowing down” process to allow public review of both the criteria used to guide the design as well as the design options. Phase 1 is intended to conclude with a City Council workshop (likely in fall 2011) prior to authorizing the start of Phase 2 work (which must also receive City Council approval). Bridge design and environmental permitting will be complex, and will take 2-3 years for completion.

TVA / USACE 26A/404 PERMIT: PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT
After several years involving several federal and state agencies, the 26A/404 permit application for three projects (Suttree Landing Park / Waterfront Drive, Knoxville Shoals Promenade, and Baker Creek Landing) was completed and signed on November 23, 2010. The lead agencies involved are the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the U.S Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). Work on the schematic designs and permit application began in June 2007, with most of the technical work completed by mid-2009. A final element required to complete the environmental review process was the Programmatic Agreement, which describes steps the City of Knoxville must take to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The TN State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has been heavily involved in drafting the Programmatic Agreement, which requires inventories of both archaeological and historic resources within the South Waterfront Redevelopment Area. The inventories were started in November 2010, with winter weather creating some difficulties for the archeological consultants. The inventory results should be available for public review by late summer 2011, and will be submitted to the City’s Historic Zoning Commission for review and approval, followed by state and federal agency review. Opportunities for public review of the inventory results will be announced in fall 2011.

PROPOSED CITY BUDGET FOR SOUTH WATERFRONT
Mayor Daniel Brown unveiled his proposed fiscal year 2011-12 budget for the City of Knoxville on April 21, 2011. The proposed budget continues to support South Waterfront operations, with no funding proposed for capital improvements. Not including $6.4 million in SW grant funds, $8.2 million of $22 million authorized over the past 6 years for the South Waterfront remains unspent. Given a tight budget year, adequate SW capital funding capacity is available for the upcoming year.

Posted Tuesday, 05/03/11, 03:46 PM - Category: Neighborhoods Meetings