Jeff Randolph, a Greenville, S.C., developer whose firm, the Randolph Group LLC, specializes in building residential, urban infill and mixed-use communities, will speak about the creation of successful mixed-use developments at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, in the Bearden High School auditorium.
Jeff Randolph, president of the Randolph Group
Active Knox, a community coalition that advocates for policies to improve connectivity for walking, biking and transit, is host of the event. Randolph will also speak at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, to the Recode Knoxville Stakeholder Advisory Committee in the Small Assembly Room of the City County Building, 400 Main St. Both meetings are free and open to the public.
Randolph’s innovations may touch nerves in Knoxville, where the city zoning code has not been modernized in about 60 years. The Randolph Group LLC has been recognized for its urban infill and mixed-use communities. Southern Living Magazine cited its work on the Viola neighborhood in Greeneville, South Carolina, as one of the 10 Best Comeback Neighborhoods in the country.
A key complaint in Knoxville has been the lack of mixed-use zoning, so that people can’t live in commercial zones outside of downtown. Terry Faulkner and Vice Mayor Duane Grieve, who have advocated for mixed-use living in Bearden, say they are going to hear Randolph’s presentation.
“He has been really successful adding mixed use. We see this as a very positive and intelligent thing,” said Faulkner who, as president of the Bearden Council, with Grieve forged the Bearden Village Plan adopted by City Council in 2001. Its addition of greenways, sidewalks and covered transit stops give Bearden residents easy access to downtown and a perfect setting for mixed-use development.
“Our objective has been to create an infrastructure for a denser population in Bearden. We would like to see mixed use areas with businesses on the bottom floor with two or three stories of apartments above,” Faulkner said.
Grieve said recent approval of mixed use around commercial corridors will enable developers to build condominiums and apartments in Bearden and other city areas. “What we are shooting for is walkability,” he said.
“We are very excited it is going to happen. It has been a goal of a number of us.”
The city zoning code is undergoing review and update by Recode Knoxville, an evolving initiative by city government, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, the community stakeholder committee Randolph will address on Wednesday, and Camiros, a planning, zoning and urban design consulting firm. Info here.