Blog: South Waterfront Blog

Movin' Dirt: Suttree Landing Park and Waterfront Drive Taking Shape

Suttree Landing Park and Waterfront Drive are taking shape and will open next summer.

Notice a big fresh patch of dirt on the South Waterfront while crossing the Gay Street Bridge or docking with the Vol Navy?

In the coming year, that patch of dirt will become Suttree Landing Park, the City’s first new park in more than a decade. Late this summer, brush was cleared from the site as work continues, making the footprint of the park recognizable.

Some features may look familiar: Suttree Landing Park will have concrete bleacher steps, similar to the bleachers that lead to the water at Volunteer Landing. The 8-acre public space will boast such amenities as two festival lawns, a riverwalk, a children’s playground and river overlooks. Suttree Landing Park also will have an accessible boat dock, a covered put-in ramp and new parking spaces.

To provide vehicle access close to the water, Waterfront Drive is being constructed. The 2,988-foot-long two-lane road will be lined with trees and offer direct access to the park. Barber Street and Foggy Bottom Street will be extended as well.

The new road and park, being constructed simultaneously, represent a $6.6 million City investment.

“The new park will be a great economic asset to the Old Sevier community and to the City as a whole,” says Redevelopment Director Dawn Michelle Foster. “The development along the river will provide more connectivity to the water and more opportunities for recreation in the Tennessee River.”

With Outdoor Knoxville located almost directly across the river from the future park, it'll be easy for first-time paddle-boarders or kayakers to get started.

Suttree Landing Park and Waterfront Drive are scheduled to open in summer 2016.

From the north side of the Tennessee River, observers can view the construction of Suttree Landing Park.

Posted by evreeland On 16 September, 2015 at 6:11 PM