News Coverage

Knoxville News Sentinel
April 6, 2005
Northshore Project Gains Momentum
By Roger Harris

Since its showy groundbreaking in September, little apparent progress has been made on the much-anticipated Northshore Town Center , a $250 million residential, office and retail development by the James Doran Co. of Charleston , S.C. But that's about to change, said Knoxville homebuilder Mike Stevens.

Construction roads are being cut through the trees of the old Sterchi Farm, and work on the first homes will start in mid-June, Stevens said. The first homes will be finished by the end of the year.

"We've already got over 40 reservations. Response has been very good," said Stevens, whose company is under contract with Doran to build 270 homes on the prime West Knox County real estate near the intersection of Northshore Drive and Pellissippi Parkway .

Architects Bill Andrews and Jerry Eschman are jointly working on the design of the homes, Stevens said.

"Both of them have some really great design ideas," Stevens said.

The ideas include what Stevens describes as brownstone-type homes with rooftop gardens, as well as cottage homes and traditional town homes.

Meanwhile, Shane Doran, President of the Doran Co., recently purchased an additional 11 acres adjacent to the original 141-acre site his company purchased for more than $8 million last year.

"It was a great opportunity to make the project better. With these new pieces we're able to square off the property," Doran said. Northshore Town Center was conceived as an "urban village" set in the heart of the suburbs. In addition to the 270 residential units, the project includes 300,000 square feet of office space, 225,000 square feet of retail space earmarked for large retailers and 175,000 square feet for smaller retailer stores. The residential, office and retail components are supposed to be within walking distance of each other, creating a self-contained neighborhood where people could live, work and play.

The concept was enthusiastically greeted by Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and 200 or so other local politicians and business people who attended the groundbreaking more than six months ago.

The mayors were particularly enthused by the estimated $264 million in property, retail sales and business taxes the project would generate for city, county and state over the next 15 years if all goes according to the development plan.

While the residential portion of the project is getting off the ground, the future of the project's retail development remains uncertain. A cinema complex and upscale retailers like the Pottery Barn have been mentioned as possible tenants, but so far no retailers have been signed up.

"We're working on it full force. We're still talking to (potential) anchor tenants," Doran said.