KNOXVILLE, TN (July 8, 2021) – Knoxville families and interested stakeholders are invited to join the Block Party downtown, near the site of a proposed multi-use stadium. Partners, stakeholders and designers will have information on hand to describe the proposed concepts of the multi-use stadium.
Make plans to drop in at the city-owned parking lot ,between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, July 17, at 400 E. Jackson Ave. for part or all of the Block Party and information session.
Talk one-on-one with project planners, representatives of GEM Community Development Group, the Tennessee Smokies, their multi-use development partner, Knox Pro Soccer, and community partners like the Knoxville Area Urban League.
Bring the children, this is a family-friendly event set in the shade beneath the James White Parkway. Food trucks and activities will be available.
The stadium, if built, would be leased to Boyd Sports and the Tennessee Smokies AA Southern League baseball team, but the facility would host hundreds of other non-baseball events each year, such as concerts or festivals. As part of a larger redevelopment effort around the stadium, GEM Community Development Group, the private partner to Boyd Sports, is planning to invest more than $100 million to build apartments, condos, restaurants and offices east of downtown Knoxville.
The project is awaiting an economic impact analysis and other detailed work by the newly-formed Sports Authority. If the data supports going forward and the City and County authorize it, a best-case scenario calls for construction possibly beginning within a year and the multi-use stadium opening for community use and events in 2024.