VOL. 8 NO. 19
IN THIS ISSUE
He’s back!
www.ShopperNewsNow.com |
May 12, 2014
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Big wheel keep on turnin’
I’m happy to say the reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated. That’s not to say there weren’t days I thought I was dead, but it turns out I was just in Eighty Four, Pa.
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Read Larry Van Guilder on page A-4
Meet Bruno Duarte Imagine someone taking leaves, sticks and flowers and turning them into a work of art you would be proud to put on a pedestal in your living room. Now imagine him doing it 10 times in one hour. That’s how Bruno Duarte rolls.
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Read Wendy Smith on page A-3
Tutoring math for Fulton frosh An innovative program at Fulton High School this year has made learning Algebra I a lot friendlier. Last fall, Emerald Youth Foundation placed 11 volunteer tutors with strong math skills right in the school’s Algebra 1 classrooms. At Fulton, Algebra I is a yearlong, freshman-level course.
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Read more on page A-9
How will Cuonzo be remembered? I suppose Cuonzo Martin has been gone long enough to raise the question, how will he be remembered? He was an excellent role model but calm as an undertaker, no used-car sales skills, certainly not a circus barker. He could not have escaped Bruce Pearl’s shadow.
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By Wendy Smith The Westmoreland water wheel is “near and dear” to the hearts of local residents, said Westmoreland Neighborhood Association past president Robin Leonard. But now that the iconic landmark has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, it is officially significant to the entire United States. Leonard spoke last week during the unveiling of a plaque recognizing the designation. She
Attorney Wayne Kline speaks to the Council of West Knox County Homeowners. Kline represents neighbors opposed to John Huber’s Westland Cove development. Photo by Wendy Smith
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By Wendy Smith Last week, developers asked the Knoxville - Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission to rezone four properties to allow for higher density housing. One request was postponed. New zoning was granted for the other three. On Hardin Valley Road, zoning
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was changed to allow for 8.5 units per acre on 12 acres. On Lovell Road, new zoning will allow a density of 5.7 units per acre on 62 acres. On Westland Drive, zoning on 18 acres changed from agricultural to planned residential to allow for three units per acre. The developer had asked for five units per acre. The only one not granted was postponed because residents of Benington subdivision on Ebenezer Road asked for time in order to meet with the developer. Volunteer Development is seeking five units per acre on a six-acre lot adjacent to the neighborhood. These proposed developments, along with proposed apartment buildings on Emory Church Road and at Northshore Town Center, should make everyone in West Knox County sit up and take notice. The Council of West Knox County Homeowners has been monitoring the trend for months. Two days before the MPC vote, Board of Zoning Appeals chair and West Knox homeowners’ council past president John Schoonmaker warned the group: “The MPC is saying yes to everything.” Attorney Wayne Kline, who
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represents neighbors opposed to John Huber’s Westland Cove development on Emory Church Road, was guest speaker at the CWKCH meeting. The group opposed Huber at MPC, Knox County Commission and BZA, and their only victory was BZA’s ruling against Huber’s plan to build a marina adjacent to the 312-unit apartment building. Both sides have sued, and the case will next appear in Chancery Court. Whatever happens in the Westland Cove case will set a precedent for the rest of the county, Kline says. “This is not the only place that this is going to happen. It will become the norm. Some of you will have high-rise apartments next to your house.” CWKCH president Margot Kline urged attendees to speak up by sending letters to planning commissioners, along with the Knox County commissioners and City Council members who listen to their recommendations. Several attendees, including Wayne Kline, suggested that MPC Executive Director Mark Donaldson favors multi-family housing developments, and planning commissioners go along with it.
“MPC drank the Kool-Aid, and here we have it.” Wayne Kline argues that the Knoxville–Knox County General Plan 2033 and the county sector plans should be adopted, rather than used as guides. When MPC chose not to follow those plans in the case of Westland Cove, they did it illegally, arbitrarily and capriciously, he said. Margot Kline said that CWKCH isn’t opposed to all multi-family housing. She used the Reserve at Westland as an example of an apartment complex that successfully used a large buffer zone. The proposed Flournoy development at Northshore Town Center is within city limits, as is the controversial proposed development of the Christenberry property at 3222 Kingston Pike. The Kingston Pike Sequoyah Hills Association has hired Laura Spica of Spica Communications to represent them in their fight against a plan to build 28 condominiums on the 4.8-acre lot. City Council is expected to vote on the issue in June. If KPSHA prevails, West Knox County residents may want to investigate hiring a PR firm, too. For more information about CWKCH: www.cwkch.com.
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help, said Knox Heritage Executive Director Kim Trent. “This is a place in Knoxville that, to me, is magical.” The water wheel is more than just a scenic location for photos.
Watch for rezoning notices in West Knox
Windrock Coal Miners Memorial The Windrock Coal Miners Memorial dedication ceremony has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17, with refreshments being served in the Union Valley Baptist Church fellowship hall. The church is located at the end of Windrock Road in Oliver Springs. Descendants of Windrock coal miners, retired miners and numerous others have worked together raising money to build a red brick and granite wall. The names of over 1,000 Windrock coal miners have been engraved into the granite. Everyone is invited to attend the dedication celebration.
things start bailing out on you.” The process moved along after preservation group Knox Heritage got involved. Director of Education Hollie Cooke, with the help of volunteer Ann Bennett, completed the necessary paperwork at no charge. The organization was happy to
Signs of the times?
Read Marvin West on page A-5
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
credited Westmoreland resident Bart Carey for his tireless work on the project. The effort took three years, she said. When he first undertook the project, he was stumbling in the dark, Carey admits. He is vice chair of the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission and is on the Historic Zoning Commission. “It was like hauling bullfrogs in a wheelbarrow,” he said. “It starts out easy, then before you know it,
Westmoreland resident Bart Carey, third from left, unveils a plaque stating that the neighborhood’s water wheel has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. City Council member George Wallace, Julie Webb, City Council member Duane Grieve, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox Heritage Executive Director Kim Trent look on. Judge Daniel Clary Webb purchased 60 acres in 1919 that later became part of Westmoreland. Photo by Wendy Smith
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