KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The City of Knoxville plans to move the police department into its new headquarters soon, which is still under construction in North Knoxville. Chief Operating Officer David Brace said they plan to move the Knoxville Police Department in by the end of 2022.
He said the city's new public safety complex, which will also house the city's fire department administration, pension office, and the Knox County Emergency Management Agency, is due to open by early Fall.
It's currently under construction at the former St. Mary's Hospital site in North Knoxville. The project faced delays and a significant cost overrun that Brace attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Prices really started going up when we started the major demolition," he said. "We were knee-deep into it — and they’re not going down any time soon."
He said the new complex would allow KFD administrators to assemble at one centralized location rather than at leased office spaces scattered through the city. It will also move the police department out of its aging building east of Downtown.
"The most critical operational needs of the city are public safety. Let’s meet those needs, but also support the neighborhood," Brace said.
The construction has also revealed the original 1929 hospital building, which sits on the north end of the site and is not included as part of the public safety development. The building emerged as other older buildings were demolished around it.
Brace said the city's housing authority has conducted surveys on potential future uses for the original building and plans to hold a meeting with the Oakwood-Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association to seek community input in the future. The goal is to move that part of the property back onto the tax rolls.
"Now we have to see what the market will bear and what people think they can do with it," Brace said.
Possibilities include redevelopment into housing or more educational space, potentially joining the Lincoln Memorial University complex already on the site.