~ from the City of Knoxville’s Office of Neighborhood Empowerment

A Block Party Info Session for neighbors to learn more about the proposed multi-use stadium proposed for the Old City area will be held Saturday, July 17, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at 400 E. Jackson Ave.

Attendees can talk one on one with project planners, representatives of the Tennessee Smokies, their multi-use development partner, Knox Pro Soccer, and community partners like the Knoxville Area Urban League. Advocates say the stadium and the hundreds of events it will host each year will create jobs and encourage new private investment in the area. Join the event to ask your questions.

Bring the kids to the Block Party, in the shade beneath the James White Parkway near the site of a proposed multi-use stadium. This is a family-friendly event with food trucks and activities.

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 in East Knoxville.

The project is awaiting an economic impact analysis and other detail work by the newly formed Sports Authority. If the independent 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.

Visit KnoxvilleTN.gov/stadium for info about the proposal.