Midway vote fails, 7-4

The Midway Business Park is dead.

At least, this version of it. At least, for now.

By a 7 to 4 vote, Knox County Commission opposed the the Metropolitan Planning Commission's revision of the East County Sector Plan that would have rezoned parcels for commercial use. Comissioners Amy Broyles, Tony Norman, Jeff Ownby, R. Larry Smith, Dave Wright, Mike Brown, and Ed Shouse all voted against it. Commissioners Samuel McKenzie, Richard Briggs, Brad Anders, and Mike Hammond voted in favor of the plan changes.

The vote capped two hours of statements; there was no actual debate. After 10 years, everyone's minds had already been made up.

Mike Edwards of the Knoxville Chamber and Roger Osborne and Todd Napier of The Development Corporation of Knox County spoke in favor of the plan for half an hour. "This is not just for The Development Corporation, this is OUR project," Napier said. "It's all of our money, it's all of our futures."

Elaine Clark, president of the French Broad Preservation Association, spoke against it for just a couple of minutes. "The 'build it and they will come' is built on hope," she said. "Hope is not a strategy." No one else opposed to the plan chose to speak. (Each side was alloted 30 minutes.) Then, one by one, the commission members began to explain their votes.

Anders said a "no" vote would ensure Knoxville stayed forever behind Chattanooga in terms of economic development. "My fear is that if we don't have it, then 15 years down the road, we'll still be that little scruffy city down by the tracks," he commented. Briggs said, "Our history has been one of lost opportunity. Are we going to lose another one tonight?" Anders later said Knoxville's short-sighted vision had cost it the opportunity to have the Tennessee Aquarium in downtown Knoxville instead of Chattanooga. (Note: I'm a Chattanooga native, and I'm really doubtful about the veracity of this statement. But please, someone, tell me I'm wrong in the comments!) McKenzie said he had "struggled mightily" with his decision before voting yes.

Wright said he thought the park would encourage sprawl. Brown said, "This just smells like a snow job." Schouse said he couldn't remember a Chamber initiative he hadn't supported, but felt disillusioned with the Midway idea and questioned the need for another business park. "There's a vacant realty sign in every other building," Shouse noted. Norman echoed him, point for point. Broyles said, "I can't support any plan that eats up this much green field."

As the vote ended, someone on the Chamber side of things a few rows behind me said, "See! This is why we'll never be Chattanooga!" Edwards said he was disappointed by the outcome, that the park was "an asset we won't have," that would position Knoxville far behind its competition in landing jobs. 

Clark implied that she knew the commission was leaning her way. When asked if she was surprised by the 7 to 4 vote, she said she wasn't - that yesterday she might have been, but as of this morning, she felt confident. (Perhaps that's why she spoke for just three minutes?)

In the aftermath of the vote, no one seemed quite clear whether the commission will propose amendments to the plan or whether it will be sent directly back to MPC for reworking or what. Clark said she hoped the county would take its time before deciding how best to move forward with the property it owns.

And so, for now, this battle of Midway is over. 

And for a much, much more nuanced look at things, pick up next week's Metro Pulse, in which Managing Editor Jesse Fox Mayshark will offer a detailed analysis of the vote and its potential effects.

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