You've heard of Advance Knox, but what exactly is it? 13 things to know for the final vote
Advance Knox could transform Knox County and affect your everyday life in many ways, from where you might find a house to how long your daily commute could be.
It's close to being fully approved and has been in the headlines for years, but we're sure you still have plenty of questions about it.
After Farragut's vote against and then flip in support of Advance Knox, the plan has one more hurdle to jump when the Knox County Commission votes on the other half of the plan on April 22. If it is approved, new policies will go into effect as early as May 1.
If you're overwhelmed with talk of growth policy plans, future land use maps and Choto, it's understandable.
As Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs recently said: Advance Knox involves a lot of details and it can be tough to understand. That's part of why there's been so much debate surrounding its adoption.
Knox News has you covered. In this one-stop shop of all things Advance Knox, we're answering the quick hit questions you may have when reading our coverage.
What is Advance Knox?
Advance Knox is an initiative started by Knox County and Jacobs to update the county's 20-year-old (outdated) growth plan.
The initiative has been over two years in the making and has cost the county $1.2 million. It hired outside consulting firm Kimley-Horn to study the county's current land-use plan and create a new plan based on public input and data.
Advance Knox has two parts:
The Growth Policy Plan gives a broad outline of where growth should be and what areas should remain rural
The Future Land Use Plan is more specific and identifies specific developments suitable for specific areas of land.
Together, the plans will guide how Knox County grows and where growth will occur. Ideally, it will make the county less lopsided by encouraging more development in underdeveloped places like east Knox County.
That means, if the plan is approved, Knox County could see more town centers, fewer homes on rural plots and fewer traffic jams.
The hope is that allowing a wider variety of housing types will ease affordability concerns, and increasing density will prevent sprawl and preserve 4,700 acres of rural land.
The plan accounts for current neighborhoods that are growing and where migration trends are heading, Knox County Engineering and Public Works Director of Environment and Planning Cathy Olsen told Knox News.
Why was Advance Knox made?
Knox County is growing rapidly, and leaders say growth isn't sustainable under current land use rules. Leaving the guidelines as is, the population spike would likely lead to sprawling subdivisions eating up valuable green space and farmland without the proper roads and commercial hubs to support those new neighbors.
At the beginning of the Advance Knox process, Jacobs said the current county planning guidelines are "archaic," restrict growth and make it tough to bring amenities like grocery stores and services to the heart of residential areas.
The current rules governing what can be built and where in Knox County are decades old. In 1998, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation requiring counties to develop comprehensive growth plans, covering projected growth for 20 years.
What is Knox County's Growth Policy Plan?
The Growth Policy Plan gives a broad sense of the unincorporated county land segments primed for development and ones that should be left rural. It includes some rules for building, notably reducing the number of allowable homes per acre from three to two in rural areas.
This part of Advance Knox is what caused drama with Farragut.
Who approves the Growth Policy Plan?
The Growth Policy Plan has now been approved by everyone: the Knox County Commission, the Knoxville City Council and the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
The Knox County Commission unanimously approved it Feb. 26, and the Knoxville City Council approved it 7-2 on March 5. Councilmembers Amelia Parker and Andrew Roberto were the dissenting votes.
After an initial vote against the plan on March 28, the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the plan 3-2 on April 11. Alderman Scott Meyer flipped his vote, while aldermen Drew Burnette and David White stuck with their vote against.
It was created with input from Knoxville, Knox County and Farragut representatives as well as input from the public.
What is the Future Land Use Plan?
The Future Land Use plan - the other half of Advance Knox - specifies which development types - like town centers, commercial space, residential subdivisions and more - could be built (and would be most suitable) on certain tracts of land.
Who approves the Future Land Use Plan?
Only two bodies need to approve this part of the plan: the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission and the Knox County Commission.
When the county commission approved the Growth Policy Plan, it did so contingent on a vote in favor of the Future Land Use Plan, which is happening April 22 in the Main Assembly room of the City County Building.
It's the final hurdle for Advance Knox.
Unlike the Growth Policy Plan, both commissions can make edits to the plan.
How will Advance Knox impact me?
The short answer: it depends on where you live.
You can find where your property lies on the Future Land Use Plan with Advance Knox's interactive map at advanceknox.org. Click on the "interactive map" button.
If you live in east or south Knox County, you'll likely see more development in your area.
This plan doesn't mean you'll definitely see change if you live in what's called a planned growth area. The boundaries set by the Growth Policy Plan and Future Land Use Plan only outline areas that are suitable for future development.
It could impact farmers living in areas that were previously rural but will be in Planned Growth areas.
Because land in those areas will be more valuable to developers since there's less of it, neighbors are worried about losing nearby farmers and farms since developers will pay more for rural land.
Will Advance Knox save Knox County money?
Jacobs and other county officials say Advance Knox could save the county $4.8 million a year, whereas the status quo would lose $2 million.
It would cost more to serve the county with outdated infrastructure if the status quo is maintained. The new plan would be more efficient and will generate more revenue since there could be more cash registers in the county and it will cost less to maintain infrastructure.
Why is Advance Knox so controversial?
Growth and change will always be controversial to some people.
Many people against Advance Knox are concerned that development will be too dense and strain infrastructure that can barely hold its own like Northshore Drive.
There are also concerns among farmers in the new growth boundary that surrounding farms will be lost because people will sell it off to developers. Some people are concerned it doesn't do a good enough job of protecting rural land.
What public input was involved with Advance Knox?
Four virtual input meetings were held between March 29, 2022, and April 6, 2023. Public Input sessions were held from Feb. 24, 2022, to Jan. 10, 2024, when Jacobs recommended the plan.
There were three rounds of public input, each holding multiple in-person and virtual meetings.
No public input meetings were held in District 5 or Farragut, according to the Advance Knox website.
What is Choto and why do we keep hearing about it?
The unincorporated Choto community is located in west Knox County south of Farragut. Community members made waves as they successfully opposed the Choto Landing development in 2023 that would have brought 56 leased townhomes to 12320 Northshore Drive for households earning less than $70,000 a year. It would have been comprised of 14 buildings on over 11.5 acres.
Community members opposed the development because of a lack of conformity to the neighborhood's character, misuse of tax dollars, increased traffic, flooding, potential harm to intended residents and flooding, according to the opposition's website.
Knoxville's Community Development Corporation Executive Director and CEO Ben Bentley told Knox News no Knox County tax money would have funded the project.
The opposition was led by Angela Russell, who is now the 5th District's Republican nominee for Knox County Commission. Russell told Knox News if she were on the county commission, she would not have approved Advance Knox.
Russell and some members of the Choto community have been adamantly against Advance Knox because of traffic concerns. Three Farragut aldermen raised concerns about traffic and development in the Northshore and Choto areas when they stalled Advance Knox's process last month by voting against it.
How did Farragut become the center of Advance Knox drama?
State law requires all municipalities within a county to approve growth policy plans. By the time the plan came to Farragut's leaders, it had already been approved by Knoxville and Knox County lawmakers – Farragut was the last nod of approval the Growth Policy Plan needed.
In a surprise to many, the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted down the plan March 28. Drew Burnette, the only alderman to defend his vote, said the plan negatively impacted his constituents because of "cut through" traffic from Choto and Hardin Valley.
Knox County officials responded to Farragut's spoiler vote swiftly and harshly. Jacobs said after the Farragut board voted down the growth plan that road improvement projects, including Emory Road in northeast Knox County, could take priority over Campbell Station Road in Farragut.
Knox County Commission Chair Terry Hill told Knox News the town wouldn't be getting much help from her. Commissioners have a final say over Jacobs' budget for the upcoming year.
Some projects in Farragut that could be "reprioritized": a new elementary school, a greenway from Concord to Choto and funding for the Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce.
Why did Farragut vote twice on Advance Knox?
State law required the three Farragut board members who voted against the plan to provide reasons at a special meeting April 3. Alderman Scott Meyer said at the meeting he regretted not reading the plan and said he would rescind his "no" vote after getting more information from county leaders. The board then voted to put Advance Knox back on the agenda for its April 11 meeting.
It's not common for lawmakers to change their mind, but Farragut rules allow for it, according to town attorney Tom Hale. The second vote took place April 11 and Meyer's flip allowed Advance Knox to pass 3-2.
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.
Silas Sloan is the growth and development reporter. Email silas.sloan@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @silasloan. Instagram @knox.growth.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Guide to Knox County Advance Knox plan ahead of final vote
