Maryville downtown living blends convenience and recreation

When contractors unveiled the results of Maryville’s new, $158,000 downtown master plan study in February, they recommended the city focus on two improvements: walkability and housing. Among the recommendations unveiled was the installation of townhouses along West Harper Avenue and updating the city’s streets to make them safer for pedestrians.

Those go hand in hand, according to Amanda Gillooly. She’s the executive director of the Downtown Maryville Alliance, a nonprofit that seeks to revitalize the city’s downtown through economics, design and promotion.

While projects like a new, 98-key hotel that broke ground on West Broadway Avenue in March could promote visiting foot traffic downtown, Gillooly said local residents aren’t as used to walking. Driving and parking next to a destination is just part of the city culture, she said, even if residents might be used to walking when they visit other cities.

She hopes that will change as the city puts more emphasis on walkability and more developers choose to build housing in the area.

“Ultimately, we want more foot traffic,” Gillooly told The Daily Times in a phone interview. “We want more vibrancy and the energy of people walking around. And that’s easier if you have them living downtown.”

Residents

Tony Mayo already lives downtown. From his residence on Church Street, he can quickly get just about anywhere he wants in a matter of minutes — all on his own two feet. After moving to his home in September, he said he was surprised by just how many places he can walk.

“I already walk for entertainment and for health, but I can get to so many restaurants,” Mayo said.

Areas like the greenway offer him recreational activities outdoors, and he also finds himself walking to events at the Blount County Public Library without budgeting time for traffic.

Mayo said he’s looking forward to additional development downtown since that will expand the number of businesses within walking distance. He even walks to the grocery store, looping through the greenway to visit the Kroger on South Hall Road.

Barbara Ingram, who lives on the same street, also appreciates how little she has to use her car. Entertaining guests, she said, is a breeze.

“Not only can I take them to the mountains and back in half a day, but here I can take them for food, shopping, hiking and sightseeing,” she said.

As a retiree, she said she appreciates being closer to her doctors. Everything is closer to her, and she meets new faces almost daily.

But living downtown isn’t without its drawbacks. Mayo said he loops through the greenway on his way to Kroger to avoid walking North Washington Street and South Hall Road, where heavy traffic moves quickly near next to the sidewalk. And he was surprised to see the sidewalks weren’t shoveled when a winter storm left a blanket of snow over the city in December.

Mayo and Ingram agreed another drawback is the noise from emergency vehicles. Having police, fire and ambulance stations within a few thousand yards of their homes means the two hear every siren that goes by, but even that is a good thing, Mayo said. The community here feels safer than his old home in Virginia.

Before moving to Maryville, he asked several police officers whether it was safe to walk the greenway, where crime was rampant back home.

“They didn’t seem to get the question,” he said. “That just doesn’t happen here.”

Futures

Gillooly said the city is well on its way to improving its walkability and has already improved over time.

“I was a Maryville College student years ago, and we always went to Knoxville,” she said. “We never considered going downtown, because there was no reason.”

Now, she said, there are many more opportunities for recreation in the surrounding community. Part of her job is helping recruit companies to the area, looking at available spaces and working to bring a good mix of businesses downtown.

She hopes to make walking a bigger part of Maryville’s culture. Shaded areas with tables where people can come to work and eat, like those recommended by the master plan study, will entice more people to live, work and visit downtown, she said. And activating emptier areas like in front of downtown parking lots will keep the downtown walking area interesting.

Even projects like making North Washington Street/South Hall Road more walkable can happen in the future.

“I think we just write it off, but it’s not that big a deal to add some landscaping and reduce the traffic speed,” she said. “It may be 10 years from now, but it’ll be worth it.”