Media Coverage

A stretch of roadway between Northshore Drive and Kingston Pike is seeing a lot of growth, like much of Knox County. Ebenezer Road was mainly lined with homes and subdivisions. Now, more commercial properties are popping up along the road with additional housing as the area continues to grow.

Brazier told 6 News on top of the constant traffic in the area as more people move in, speeding is a big issue along Ebenezer Road. He said some people use the road as a drag strip of sorts, leading up to Bluegrass Elementary School.

Laura Stout, who lives behind Bluegrass Animal Hospital, said she felt "resigned at best" after the meeting. She believes that county leaders are prioritizing development over preservation of a neighborhood's character and context, regardless of what is said in public.

Knox County Commissioner Shane Jackson (Fourth District) held a community meeting the week before County Commission votes on a property rezoning on Ebenezer Road (six and a half acres being requested to a Suburban Residential at 10 units to an acre)

The Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission unanimously approved a request to rezone an area along Ebenezer Road near the Bluegrass Animal Hospital from agriculture to a planned residential zone.

“This does not match the community. It does not match the surrounding neighborhoods,” Acree said. “This neighborhood is three dwelling units per acre, most neighborhoods are five dwelling units per acre. To request 10 and, I believe, to put it where they’re going to put it is just obscene.”

After plans for an affordable housing development in West Knox County were withdrawn last year, developers are moving forward with a new site along Ebenezer Road.

Another group of West Knox County residents are banding together over concerns about a proposed residential development at the corner of Northshore Drive and Harvey Road.