The first community meeting for the Recode Knoxville zoning code update will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 18, at Central United Methodist Church, 201 Third Ave. 

The process to modernize Knoxville’s zoning code is just getting started, and this public meeting is an opportunity for the community to learn about the project and give feedback. Mayor Madeline Rogero and MPC Executive Director Gerald Green will welcome attendees at 6 p.m., and Camiros, the consultants assisting in the ordinance update, will give a presentation on the project. An open house will follow the presentation.

Staff from the project team will be available to answer questions during the open house. There will also be three stations set up to collect input from the community. The stations will have general information, help residents learn more about their current zoning, and encourage community members to highlight where the new code should invest, what it should protect, and what it should connect.

“We’re looking forward to hearing community comments at the first meeting,” Green said. “We’re eager to find ways to engage the community throughout the process to help shape the new code through every step of the process.”

Knoxville’s zoning code hasn’t undergone a thorough review in nearly 60 years. Recode Knoxville will allow the city to adopt modern standards to help shape the city for the next 20 to 40 years. It will also help protect and enhance Knoxville’s sense of place over the next few decades. Knox County is projected to add 170,000 residents by 2040, and this update will help prepare the community for that growth by striking a balance between protecting historic characteristics of neighborhoods and creating standards that encourage dynamic growth. It will encourage investment, protect valued community assets, and support connectivity among people and places.

To achieve these goals, the guiding principles for the update include:

• Promoting development and redevelopment in a manner that uses resources efficiently; 
• Building a strong, sustainable, walkable community; and
• Encouraging and gathering public input from the Knoxville community and business leaders.

For more information, please contact Gerald Green at 865-215-3758 or [email protected]. You can also sign up to receive updates on the project at www.recodeknoxville.com.

Anyone needing a disability accommodation to attend the May 18 public meeting should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Stephanie Cook, at [email protected] or 865-215-2034. For an English interpreter, contact the City Law Department at 865-215-2050.