February, 2023,

“It disproportionately benefits UT rather than the neighborhood, and it really only makes sense if this area becomes student housing, and none of us really want that to happen,” [John] Cadotte [part of the Neighborhood Advisory Council in South Knoxville] said.

Martha Olson is also a resident of the South Waterfront Neighborhood and was on the committee that helped create the vision plan in 2006. Although the bridge was included in the plan, Olson feels that it may lead to too much development in the neighborhood.

January, 2025,

“I’d say the major concern is influx of undergraduate housing, just because there’s a much different energy in a place like the Fort Sanders neighborhood as opposed to our neighborhood, where we would hope that maybe more faculty and graduate students would set up,” John Cadotte said. “Talking with the city, we’ve gotten a lot of encouragement for that.”

A few years ago, Cadotte said the project seemed more beneficial to the university as opposed to the community as a whole, but working with Mayor Kincannon and Vice Mayor Tommy Smith has helped ease some of those concerns.

We'll see.

South Knoxville community helps craft pedestrian bridge plans as city gets $25M grant