Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-1992

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Planning

Major

Planning

Major Professor

Kenneth B. Kenney

Committee Members

James Spencer, Thomas Boehm

Abstract

There has been significant interest in mixed use developments (MXDs) in recent years. Many cities, counties, and metropolitan governments are beginning to realize that mixed use developments can provide effective solutions to the costly problems of urban blight, inactive downtown areas, increased transportation costs resulting from the strict segregation of land uses, and costly utility services which are being expanded to the urban fringes in a wasteful and expensive manner. It is important for local governments who desire to implement mixed use developments in their jurisdictions to know what zoning and economic incentives to make available to mixed use developers. This study seeks to accomplish this objective through survey, case study, and literature review research concerning the types of incentives local governments across the United States have provided to encourage the expeditious implementation of mixed use developments. Specifically, this study seeks to illustrate the available and most useful public incentives within the Knoxville/Knox County governments for attracting mixed used developments within the community. This thesis should provide public officials and decision makers important information to establish a mixed use development implementation program in Knoxville/Knox County. The findings of the study concluded that public incentives and/or zoning incentives were offered and used by mixed use developers in a significant majority of the mixed use projects in the respondent cities. Land assembly through eminent domain and the provision of infrastructure were the most popular public incentives used. Most of the mixed use projects described in the survey responses accommodated mixed use projects through planned unit development or central business district zoning mechanisms. Most respondent cities mentioned that the zoning ordinance which pertained to the mixed use project in question should be changed to some extent to better encourage mixed use developments in the future. The conclusions of the study are purely descriptive in nature. The mixed use development implementation guidelines are based on the frequency of public incentives used in various communities, not the effectiveness of those incentives or the success of the project which received the incentives. The final implications from the conclusions for Knoxville and Knox County indicate that public officials should strongly consider offering the most frequently used and most importantly ranked incentives listed in the previous paragraphs if mixed use developments are desired by the community. However, before mixed use developments can be sufficiently promoted in the Knoxville/Knox County urban area, four obstacles must be effectively dealt with: first, some public planning officials believe that there is not enough commercial development permitted in the existing planned residential zoning districts which offer the greatest potential to regulate and encourage mixed use developments according to the Urban Land Institute definition; second, there is a negative public perception of mixed use developments within the Knoxville/Knox County area; third, many of the large tracts of land in suburban Knox County are owned by families who have owned the land for many generations and do not desire to sell; and lenders will most likely not lend funds for such large and diverse projects as mixed use developments unless they are thoroughly familiar with the reputation of the developer(s).

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