After much fierce debate, a plan for redevelopment of Knoxville’s own Market Square has been approved to proceed. The plan, which will cost taxpayers $432 million, will be completed by June of 2006. It will be executed by the 16th development firm that has attempted to redevelop the square, Jebediah, Eli, & Zechariah, Associates out of Pennsylvania.
The plan calls for a return of the square to much the same state as it appeared in 1712, where it was a grassy knoll. The photo, shown to the right, was taken in 1713 by world renowned (in his day) knoll photographer Edgar Hillock, and shows the square as it was up until a greedy developer leveled it in 1718 to build a Home Depot. This photo was taken facing south toward the river.
Since that time, there has been a mostly silent movement to return the area to its original state, and that movement was given more momentum recently after the photo was unveiled in the internet thinktank discussion group “K2K.” The group, who is fond of trees and grassy areas and mostly loathes development of any kind, applauded the idea after arguing about it for six months. Research revealed that a similar plan had been successfully completed at the Cumberland Gap, where a tunnel blasted through the mountain allowed the old roadbed to be returned to a previous version.
Plans call for sheep and bison to be returned to the area, and subsistence farming will allow for minimal environmental impact while ensuring adequate animal husbandry practices.
The redevelopment plan includes a giant cube to be built two miles to the north in an old contaminated railyard that will house all the displaced people and businesses. The cube will be half a mile square and 60 stories tall. This will also cut way back on urban sprawl. Knoxville hopes to lead the world in cube-city planning.