What is Advance Knox?
Advance Knox is a new initiative to change the planning guidelines of Knox County.
Knoxville News Sentinel
Here’s a quick update from me, Knox News political reporter Allie Feinberg. In the second edition of my weekly column, The Key, that published Monday, I wrote about how the Knox County Commission will decide on a novel way to pay for roads, bridges, services and more for new developments.
It’s a hot issue with 79,000 people projected to move to Knox County by 2040.
The meeting was scheduled for today at 4 p.m., but the commission decided to postpone it this morning. I want to give you a heads up so you can make your voice heard in the process.
We don’t know yet the date of the public hearing that precedes the county commission’s decision. The commission will discuss the new plan in December, vote on it at a different meeting later in December, and the public hearing must happen before then. I’ll keep you posted!
If you’re itching to participate in some democracy today, the Knox County Commission meets at 3 p.m. today in the small assembly room of the City-County Building, 400 Main St., and the Knoxville City Council meets at 6 p.m. today in the main assembly room of the City-County Building.
Want to know more about new development costs?
Knox County’s population is projected to grow by 79,000 people by 2040, and longtime residents have been sounding the alarm that local roads aren’t equipped for the influx.
The Knox County Commission will decide, under a new state law, whether to force newcomers to foot the bill for infrastructure improvements needed to support a new housing development.
The method? Impose an annual fee on residents who move into new neighborhoods to pay for everything from sidewalks to stormwater facilities.
I wrote about it more in depth in this explainer.
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.