Downtown lowdown: Opposition to a proposed high-rise and the return of a beloved festival

Between building a new baseball stadium, talks of a pedestrian bridge, the addition of a second food hall and the city considering the future of parking in the city's center, there's a lot of big downtown Knoxville news to report.

But sometimes it's the smaller snippets that capture the hustle and bustle of our Scruffy City − the pulse, if you will.

In this Downtown Lowdown, we'll look at why some people are worried about a new high-rise apartment building planned along the river, how beer sales could expand at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, which beloved Knoxville festival is returning and how Yee-Haw Brewing Co. is looking to grow.

Got downtown questions? Send topics for consideration to ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com or via Instagram @knoxscruff.

Lowdown on a Knoxville apartment building needing design approval

April 17 could be a busy Design Review Board meeting for Knoxville-Knox County Planning. I'll be there, along with what's expected to be some folks voicing their concerns about a 16-story high-rise proposed for the downtown side of the Tennessee River.

Since we reported on the apartment project, which evolved out of "The T at Riverfront" plan shared in 2018, a website called keepknoxvillecharming.com has been encouraging people to sign a petition to block this development at the site bordered by Locust Street to the east, West Hill Avenue to the north, Front Avenue to the south and the Henley Street Bridge to the west.

If you're having trouble picturing the site, it's at the same height as and parallel to Neyland Drive.

Keep Knoxville Charming said "a building of this scale and design would erode Knoxville's authentic design and gives nothing back to our community," according to the website. Some of the concerns include the potential for tax breaks, high-priced units and traffic issues.

Look for all of this to be discussed at the Design Review Board meeting.

The owner is South Carolina-based Woodfield Development. Keep Knoxville Charming cites a 2022 Charleston news article from WCBD outlining concerns from the Preservation Society of Charleston about the lack of community benefits related to a Woodfield project called Morrison Yard.

In June, a special Charleston planning commission meeting featured multiple public comments that Morrison Yard "dwarfs the downtown skyline" and has caused Charleston to lose "some of its beloved charm." The Knoxville group shares some of the same concerns for the proposed 290-unit apartment building.

The style of the high-rise planned in Knoxville is still up for debate, as the river-facing side of the project has an in-your-face white cement design. As far as community benefits go, the only commercial space planned within the massive building is a café on the West Hill Avenue side.

The Design Review Board has shared some concerns with the development team that likely will be addressed during the upcoming meeting, including concerns about pedestrian safety related to a parking entrance and the lack of a building entrance on the West Hill Avenue side.

Last week, Knox News spoke briefly to Rick Blackburn, a local project manager and representative of the owners. Blackburn, president of Blackburn Development Group, is also the vice chair of the Design Review Board that will consider the latest iteration of the project April 17. Therefore, he will not be part of any decisions made by the board.

Blackburn said more information will be made available at the meeting because the development team will be in attendance.

Eric Brock of Brock Hudgins Architects, which is designing the project, told Knox News via email he "spoke to our client, who asked that we share the renderings after the (Design Review Board) meeting, not before." Initial renderings are available, however, through documents submitted to the board.

Tennessee football, basketball beer vendor expanding venue options

The beer vendor for Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center is looking to expand what it offers at these University of Tennessee at Knoxville sports and entertainment venues. Not in terms of the types of alcohol but, rather, where the alcohol could be served by the vendor, Aramark.

At Food City Center, Aramark is looking to expand its beer-serving premises to include entrance ramps to the arena.

Knox News asked Aramark whether this means alcohol stands would be added outside, whether people could drink outside or both. The response: Wait until the Knoxville Beer Board meeting April 16.

However, a blueprint included in documents submitted to the Beer Board appears to show at least two beer gardens near arena entrances. We'll be attending the Beer Board meeting to get more details about this permit request.

As for Neyland Stadium, Aramark's beer permit request is related to catering. Knox News also expects more details about beer plans at this venue to be shared during the meeting.

Sunset on Central finalizing festival north of downtown Knoxville

It's back. The beloved Sunset on Central music festival, that is.

After taking a year off in 2023, organizer Garrett Thomson told Knox News a headliner has been confirmed but not announced. He's now working with other organizers to book the full lineup for the free event, happening Aug. 24.

Venues have been announced and include Yee-Haw Brewing Co., Schulz Brau Brewing Company, The Corner Lounge and Next Level Brewing Company. The festival previously used Central Filling Station and Hops and Hollers as venues, but both of those businesses have closed.

The festival is presented by Hamarki Wellness and other sponsors that help make it free and open to the public. The event previously has been described as a "music discovery" festival, and the 2022 iteration included performances by The Foxies, Corook and Pet Envy, among others.

Will Yee-Haw Brewing Co. add beer, merch hub near Knoxville brewery?

Yee-Haw Brewing Co. at 745 N. Broadway has added a lot to Knoxville's beer scene since opening in February 2023, becoming a hub for watching UT sports across multiple bars and a large outdoor entertainment area.

The brewery, founded in Johnson City, has even made Knoxville its new headquarters.

Now, Yee-Haw is asking the city to reconsider the zoning for nearby properties at 130 and 134 Bearden Place so that beer made at the brewery, as well as Yee-Haw merchandise, can be stored there.

You may recognize these addresses as the Brewing & Distilling Center and the former home of The Lad N Lass, respectively. The addresses share the same owner as the brewery property, SMJT LLC.

The most interesting part from the public's perspective could be the addition of "retail sale at the Premises," according to documents submitted to the city's Board of Zoning Appeals.

The reason for the request is that Yee-Haw cannot meet parking requirements for these addresses, noting the buildings are "generally contiguous to the Brewery, and they are only separated by a small side street."

Knox News sent questions to Yee-Haw about the addition of retail and what that might look like, but answers were not shared in time for publication.

As with all of these tidbits, Knox News will be following the topics and updating readers with full stories when it makes sense. Stay tuned at knoxnews.com for the latest downtown news.

Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com. Instagram @knoxscruff.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Downtown Knoxville's latest apartment, music festival and brewery news