Mayor Bill Haslam announced today the appointment of a Downtown Advisory Committee that will aid him in creating a strategy for continuous improvements to the heart of the city.
The committee will capitalize on the recommendations of urban planners Crandall Arambula, the firm retained by Nine Counties. One Vision to create a design framework for downtown.
The mayor's charge to the committee is to recommend a strategy that prioritizes critical projects needed to spur continued private investment, provides a realistic execution plan with available resources in mind, and promotes downtown's role as the heart of the city, with diverse activities and events.
The committee will also be asked to address priorities identified by participants in the recent Downtown Summit - support for sustainable design, development incentives, and removing roadblocks to development.
The committee is representative of downtown stakeholders and design professionals and will be served by technical staff of government and non-profit organizations with expertise in various disciplines related to downtown.
"Downtown Knoxville is enjoying great momentum. Planning and vision are required to ensure that the center of our city retains its vitality and continues to grow," Mayor Haslam said. "It's equally important that we coordinate available resources to proceed in an accountable and efficient manner."
Mayor Haslam will seek the public's input on the draft plan before finalizing the document and presenting it to City Council this spring.
The committee's chairman is Dave Hill, chief operating officer for the city of Knoxville, and vice chairman is Mike Arms, chief of staff for Knox County.
Other committee members are: Nicholas Arning, chairman, Historic Zoning Commission; Katie Bell, community relations manager, TVA; Trey Benefield, Metropolitan Planning Commissioner and architect, Benefield-Richters Co.; Gwen Brown, vice president, Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon; Mark Brown, vice mayor, city of Knoxville; Leigh Burch, principal, Terminus Real Estate; Loren Crabtree, chancellor, University of Tennessee-Knoxville; Pam Fansler, president, First Tennessee Bank-Knoxville; Phil French, business manager, Gentry Tipton, Kizer & McLemore; Laurens Tullock, president, Cornerstone Foundation; Scott West, owner, Preservation Pub; Mahasti Vafaie, owner, The Tomato Head.
The technical sub-committee will be coordinated by Bill Lyons, the city's senior director for economic development.
Other members are: Jill Van Beke and Kevin DuBose, city of Knoxville; Jim Harrison, The Development Corp. of Knoxville; Mike Edwards, Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership; Buz Johnson and Mike Carberry, Metropolitan Planning Commission; Lynn Fugate and Marlene Davis, Nine Counties.One Vision; Kim Trent, Knox Heritage; Dale Smith, PBA; Mark Hairr, Knoxville Area Transit; Alvin Nance, Knoxville's Community Development Corp.; Frank Sparkman and Dave Watson, East Tennessee Community Design Center; and Michele Hummel, Central Business Improvement District.