Bigger not better? Asheville's river lesson from Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – This southern city is connected by a ribbon of common waterway with Asheville. And it's got some lessons for its North Carolina cousin when it comes to riverfront redevelopment, many about challenges it has faced.

The French Broad River flows through Asheville and ends just east of Knoxville. There it joins the Holston to form the Tennessee River, which drifts alongside Knoxville's downtown.

Downtown sits high above the river, a position that made the 18th century city defensible, said longtime Knoxville author and journalist Jack Neely. Later, like in so many American cities, the riverfront became an industrial corridor — and a dumping ground.

"The river was smelly. No one wanted to go near it," Neely told members of the Asheville Riverfront Redevelopment Commission on a June 26 visit to Knoxville. "It was something people wanted to distance themselves from."

Now, as in many post-industrial cities, Knoxville sees its riverfront as the next frontier, a place ripe for recreation and residential development. But despite rigorous planning efforts and millions in public and private investment, that boom has yet to happen.

Field trip

The trip to Knoxville was part of efforts to boost and manage development along a central part of the French Broad in Asheville.

In past years, the city's riverfront redevelopment commission took similar retreats to Chattanooga and Greenville, South Carolina, to see how those cities turned their most prominent water features into a boon for residents.

This year's trip two hours away cost $2,500 with Buncombe County paying $1,000, the city $1,250, and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce $250.

Those are small potatoes compared to the $250 million in private and public investment poised to pour into areas around the French Broad in the next six years. Planned changes range from the nearly completed New Belgium's East Coast brewery to planned greenways stretching north and south.

Of interest to riverfront development commission members, who are appointed by groups such as the city, the chamber and the Council of Independent Business Owners, was how Knoxville planned for the changes and what's become of those plans.

Big city, big river

Commission Vice Chairman Carleton Collins said the fields trips are helpful, but commission members have to keep in mind the different river city "contexts" as well as histories. That means some things in Knoxville might not apply to Asheville, said Collins, an architect appointed to the commission by City Council.

"However, gaining insight into how other cities attempt to invigorate their riverfronts is always interesting and important to understand."

The biggest differences that strike any Asheville visitor immediately are the size of the city and the river.

Knoxville, with 184,281 residents, is more than twice the size of Asheville, which has a population of 87,882. The rivers themselves are different, too.

The French Broad is a classic mountain river with drops and rapids. It's relatively shallow, meaning people can stand in many sections. The river widens and slows down in its stretch through the city.

The Tennessee, meanwhile, is big and deep and wide. It supports barge traffic and is still a transportation corridor for major industries such as an asphalt plant. The banks tend to be steep and are armored with riprap.

It's the kind of river more inviting to yachts and motorboats and less to a casual paddler or person on a tube wanting to drift downstream.

Some are determined, though, said Neely. The journalist said one of the more remarkable sights he could remember was about three years ago when paddleboard rentals became available.

"I saw some beautiful young girls in bikinis going out there, just as this industrial barge came up with Tennessee flags. It was one of the biggest barges I've ever seen."

There are some key times that the river explodes with activity. Most center around fireworks and football. The Fourth of July and a special Labor Day celebration called the Boomsday Festival feature big pyrotechnics that pack the city and the river.

Seven times a year, when the University of Tennessee football team plays a home game, the river becomes a party zone and even hotel district as fans celebrate and sleep on their boats. That school spirit spills into a couple of riverbank restaurants and up the banks into downtown bars and restaurants.

Scene from a Friday

On a hot Friday in late June, a group from an outdoor writers conference takes turns trying out paddleboards and some other small watercraft on the north side of the Tennessee. But otherwise, it's quiet up and down the banks.

A few boats are tied up, including the Volunteer Princess, a sleek-looking yacht specializing in dinner tours. Across the river, on the south bank, two condominium complexes stand over empty marinas.

Among the writers, children's author Ken Keffer of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, asks how far away Asheville is, saying it seems like one of those "iconic places" to visit. As for the river next to him, Keffer said parts remind him of the Milwaukee River, where there's been an effort to clean it up and bring crowds to a visually appealing riverwalk park.

He said he wishes his hometown waterway had more on-the-water recreational options like the paddleboards. As for the view of fuel tanks on the south bank and other industrial structures, he said it's not off-putting and notes one of the themes of his book company.

"We don't have to have pristine landscapes to have good nature experiences."

Asheville's commission members, though, contrasted the scene with the packed parking lots along the French Broad and colorful floating armada of boats and inflatables.

"The French Broad right now is full of hipsters on inner tubes. You could walk across the river," City Councilman Jan Davis said.

Different booms

One big leg up for Asheville was an early and strong downtown renaissance in the 1990s. The river area, or River Arts District, has benefited from overflow with artists finding cheap rents among derelict warehouses. Later, art studios, restaurants and other businesses found footholds. That has led to current moves toward big development and infrastructure improvements.

Knoxville's downtown has just hit its stride, according to some. Local teacher Sherrie Dudley said she knows the river has a "nice park area."

"I don't know why we don't go down there more," she said.

Dudley said her family doesn't spend a lot of time on water and if they are going swimming, they'll likely seek out a lake. She's excited about the brightening downtown and what it has to offer.

"We come down here on a Saturday for the farmers market. Then we have brunch. Then we go to the movie. Then we have some gelato," she said, laughing as she ticks off their routine.

Next to downtown, but cut off

Any quietness down by the river is not from lack of trying. Knoxville has devoted time and dollars in attempts to shape that area.

The first big effort was on the north side next to downtown. Three phases were built for the $42 million Volunteer Landing Park from 1995-96. That area along the Tennessee's north bank includes trails, children's recreation areas including play fountains and a privately financed apartment and condo complex.

A nearby nonprofit offers bicycle, paddleboard and other types of rentals.

Volunteer Landing is packed for football games, fireworks displays and special events such as concerts, but is otherwise pretty quiet, city residents and officials say. The residential units didn't seem to connect well to the landing, some say, meaning those who live there didn't much populate the park.

Spinning off of the park and all over the city are greenways — 85 miles of them. Many of the trails run along the river's north and south sides or link directly to those paths.

Some Asheville city planners tagged along on the Knoxville trip and peddled bicycles from Volunteer Landing along some of the greenways. They said they encountered few other cyclists. The greenways, which would be the envy of Asheville residents who have been clamoring for more paths for years, have grown slowly in popularity, Neely said. Most traffic is not near the river, he said, but along paths leading from neighborhoods to downtown.

Eleven-year-old Edward Chayehoi, who was standing in downtown's Market Square, said it's tough for him to get to the amenities by the river.

"I don't have a car or anything, so I would like a KAT (Knoxville Area Transit) bus that comes to there."

It would also be nice to add a place to swim, he said.

Marleen Kay Davis, an architecture professor at the university and former dean there, has spent years on downtown redevelopment. The river and downtown remain two separate destinations, she said.

"Historically, the river wasn't tied to downtown and I think that persists," Davis said.

There's little buildable land on the north side and what little there is, is walled off from the city center by Neyland Drive, a highway-like boulevard broader than six lanes at points.

Neyland has made it difficult to run buses and it keeps most pedestrians at bay. The steep drop from downtown to the water creates another walking impediment.

On the other side

In 2006, Knoxville's City Council set its eyes on the other side of the river, approving the South Waterfront Vision Plan.

The hefty document focused on former industrial land and neighborhoods that came close to the Tennessee, but whose streets stopped short of connecting to the river.

City officials used public meetings to get residents' opinions on what type of buildings and development they wanted to see. The plans rely on form-based zoning, a type of building rules that emphasize pedestrian accessibility and focus on the size and look of buildings.

Less important is what type of business or other use goes into the structures. Form-based zoning also typically breaks large areas into districts, allowing residents to create different characteristics for each. It's the same system Asheville wants to employ in rezoning along its river.

The South Waterfront plan is a 20-year strategy, said then-mayor Bill Haslam, now the state's governor.

"I believe we now have a realistic plan that marries high-quality development expectations with public improvements such as open spaces, a riverwalk, and upgraded streets," Haslam said in the plan's introduction.

"Imagine what we can do — by implementing the plan, we will be able to stroll along the river, go kayaking, take the family out for dinner and entertainment, or live and work right across from the downtown."

Helping boost development would be a type of government financing unavailable in North Carolina. In Tennessee, tax-increment financing allows developers to get government-backed loans for retail, housing or other projects in which they will build new public infrastructure. Backing these loans are the promises of increased property taxes in the improved areas.

North Carolina has tax-increment financing, but unlike in Tennessee, government bodies, such as the city, take out the loans and build streets, sidewalks and other infrastructure. The improvements serve as a place-setting for privately funded development.

Nine years after the approval of Knoxville's South Waterfront plan, there's been some changes, but that vision has largely not materialized. Notable are two condominium complexes with walkways built to the 20-foot-wide zoning standards along the river as well as marinas that adhere to the zoning code — though the boat slips are mostly empty.

Coming down the pipe are some developments such as the planned 134-unit apartment complex on Island Home Road that will tap into $2.5 million in TIF money and build 1,900 feet of riverwalk as well as new road construction and realignment.

There is also the former Baptist Hospital right across the Henley Street Bridge from downtown. Changes there were not in the vision plan, but the site is set to become the south side's focal point with hundreds of hotel rooms, luxury apartments and student housing. Investors estimate it will cost $150 million to build the development called Bridges at Riverside.

Lessons learned

Many point to the recession as one of the biggest factors in stalling development on the South Waterfront and other places. But Asheville, too, suffered those economic doldrums.

Knoxville officials say in many cases, they were simply being choosey. City planners say they try to hold a high standard for offering developers TIF money or access to a payment in lieu of taxes program that allows them to defer tax payments.

The questions city staffers ask include what would happen if there were no private investment and what the public benefit would truly be, said Knoxville Deputy Director of Redevelopment Dawn Michele Foster

The city is not trying to back one big project to transform the area, Foster said.

"We're not looking for a silver bullet."

Asked what lessons Asheville can take from all of this, Foster and Davis say there's a benefit to taking things slowly.

"It's worth it to be patient so the development you do is the right development for the area," the architecture professor Davis said.

"In your case, where you want the future development to be balanced out with existing artists and existing residents. You want to create a balanced development."

A primary role of Asheville's redevelopment commission should be listening, intently, to the different groups, she said.

"That's how you create community buy-in and generate enthusiasm. Even when people have differences, they'll feel better to know they've at least been heard."

Jered Croom, 41, is a Knoxville native, who also doesn't frequent the river. But Croom, a case manager for a housing nonprofit, said he has faith that the plans will yield results —though he also has concerns and an opinion about what the new area should be.

"There has to be family-oriented space. Everyone wants chic and modern spaces, but it all boils down to the fact that you're going to grow up and have children."

Asheville officials say the city's in a different place. There's $50 million in public funds set to drastically overhaul roads, add bike lanes and build greenways around the French Broad. There's also more than $200 million in private investment, including the New Belgium brewery now being added.

And, the riverfront development commission's vice chairman Carleton said, "our French Broad and Swannanoa rivers are more intimate and natural." That means more recreational opportunities and businesses catering to them are cropping up.

With plans set and many other elements in place, the key is to keep pointing the boat downstream, the city-appointed architect said.

"While we need to learn how to properly address such issues as the floodway, gentrification and implementing affordable housing, there is no doubt that our riverfront is on the verge of something special."

'A promiscuous throng'

When 18th century traveler James Weir came to Knoxville, he painted a rowdy picture of the fledgling frontier town, which he said was populated by "a promiscuous throng of every denomination."

There was "jesting, singing, swearing, women yelling from doorways ... whiskey and peach brandy were cheap," he said. "There was what I never did see before on Sunday, dancing, singing and playing of cards."

While all might not welcome the full range of bawdiness observed by Weir, many of Knoxville's modern leaders probably would like to recapture some of that rollicking energy and focus it back on the town's riverfront, where the plaque inscribed with Weir's observations sits.