East Knox residents rally against industrial park

A proposed industrial park will cost Knox County taxpayers about $28 million.

The Knox County Development Board has contracts on about 370 acres of farmland off Interstate 40 at Midway Road.

The Metropolitan Planning Commission recently approved re-zoning the East Knox County site from agricultural to commercial.

But dozens of residents now hope to convince Knox County Commissioners to vote down the Midway Business Park proposal.

"They're trying to take farmland to build it with," 11-year old Taylor Thomas explained. "They're taking all your meat and carrots, and everything you can possibly grow, and turning it into industrial parks."

Thomas may be the only 11-year old with a tractor at a protest against the proposed industrial park Saturday, but he's as anti-industrial park as anyone who's been farming the East Knox county area for decades.

Many farmers joined the group that wants to stop Knox County from "wasting taxpayer money" on another industrial park.

They say other area sites still have open spaces.

"Only in Eastbridge," Industrial Development Corporation CEO Mike Edwards countered. "And Eastbridge doesn't have interstate access. Businesses today have to get on and off the interstate very quickly."

That's one reason Edwards helped pick the proposed spot off Midway Road.

Plus, he says the terrain is relatively flat for East Tennessee and the land has willing sellers.

However, they're now surrounded by angry neighbors.

"The people, the residential serene, the view of the Smokies," nearby resident Janie Emmert said. "Of course I don't want an industrial development park in my backyard, but that's not my only concern."

Emmert cautions against sinking money into the land behind her house. She says it's plagued with sink holes.

However, Edwards says a preliminary environmental study has been done and sink holes are something they can work around.

His concern and primary goal is to create jobs.

"It is always a neighborhood conflict," Edwards acknowledged. "But at times, the community has to look at what's in the interest of the whole community."

An industrial development park is just not the type of growth some in the rural community want to see.

"It's not progress to me," Emmert said.

County commissioners will vote at their meeting later this month on August 28th.

Design and construction is expected to take two and a half years.