KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Knoxville's Community Development Corporation, in partnership with the City of Knoxville, has issued a Request for Qualifications to select development teams to transform a 15-acre South Knoxville riverfront site into a mixed-use destination. Responses to the RFQ are due Aug. 7.

The property sits directly across the Tennessee River from the University of Tennessee campus and includes about 1,400 linear feet of riverfront. It comprises several parcels along West Blount Avenue and Scottish Pike.

The agency is seeking development teams with experience in urban waterfront projects. The RFQ process is the first step in selecting a development team, and top-ranked developers will move to a second phase involving detailed proposals, including project timelines and land purchase terms.

"This is pretty exciting. This RFQ is really about how do we create an affordable, walkable, with great public access to the water mixed-use site right in South Knoxville," said Ben Bentley, CEO and executive director of KCDC.

Plans for the redevelopment are rooted in the 20-year South Waterfront vision plan first created in 2005 by City of Knoxville leaders. According to KCDC, the site was previously used for industrial purposes, including textile manufacturing tied to Jefferson Woolen Mills, and the redevelopment will preserve and reuse the 1948 Jefferson Mills Addition building.

According to KCDC officials, community involvement has shaped the project through meetings, surveys and discussions led by the South Waterfront Advisory and Advocacy Group, or SWAAG, which formed in 2023. Residents emphasized the importance of mixed-income housing, walkability, retail space and maintaining public access to the river. Some South Knoxville residents say the redevelopment will add to traffic and that infrastructure such as roads already needs work.

Bentley said leaders hope the redevelopment will improve connectivity and create a more walkable area with access to amenities nearby. The project is tied to a planned pedestrian bridge connecting South Knoxville to the University of Tennessee campus.

"It's a shame if you think about the number of places that we can go on our riverfront to have a bite to eat, to grab a drink or to just be social," he said. "There's no destination that people would go and say, 'Hey, I can go to the park, I can meet a friend here after work.'"

"This 15-acre site along the Tennessee River has the potential to become a destination that reflects who we are as a city and where we're headed," Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said. He said the planning, design and permitting process will likely continue through 2027, with construction potentially beginning by the end of that year.