KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Going up and driving down Alcoa Highway, most people notice construction. There's a proposal in place for a new apartment complex in South Knoxville, potentially creating more construction nearby.
Despite the challenges the project could bring, the Alcoa Highway Beautification council chair Kathy Proctor said bringing in more residents to the area is a step in the right direction.
"One of the things we identified was a real need was we needed more residents to support any amenities," Proctor said.
She says there's a lot of amenities along Alcoa Highway they don't have. This includes grocery stores, banks and even service stations.
"We need more people to be able to support the businesses that all of us in this area desperately want," Proctor said.
More than 7 acres of land is up for sale just off of the corner of Alcoa Highway and Maloney Road. It's mostly composed of a few empty buildings and trees.
If the apartment complex proposal moves forward, the land could turn into a medium-income multi-family residential complex. This would add almost 300 units, ranging anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 in rent.
The apartment complex is being developed by Dominion Group.
While there's some support for this proposal, some other neighbors aren't happy about it.
There's a petition highlighting a list of concerns. Some concerns include more traffic on Maloney Road and on the roundabouts. Some of the development is also on city-owned property and another part is on county-owned property, which some critics say can lead to confusion.
However, Proctor said having this apartment complex would bring more middle-income residents, which is needed.
"Increasing the population creates more customers, therefore, the businesses can survive," Proctor said. "You don't want to create a situation where a business can't survive."
The next step for the proposal will be a planning commission meeting on July 8th.