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Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions

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Drawings that could be considered by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, depict the apartments, tentatively named Main Street Apartments, that could be built on the northern part of the former American Museum of Science and Energy property on South Tulane Avenue.

Drawings that could be considered by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, depict the apartments, tentatively named Main Street Apartments, that could be built on the northern part of the former American Museum of Science and Energy property on South Tulane Avenue.

 

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday will consider possible changes to the plan for the next phase of Main Street Oak Ridge and a plan for apartments proposed on the northern part of the former American Museum of Science and Energy property on South Tulane Avenue.

The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. You can see the agenda here.

Oak Ridge Today has previously covered discussions of both projects. You can see our last story on the Planning Commission discussion of Main Street Oak Ridge here and Main Street Apartments here. [Read more…]

Housing: Apartments proposed on former AMSE site

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The main parking lot and main entrance to the former American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue is pictured above on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The main parking lot and main entrance to the former American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue is pictured above on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Apartments could be built on the former American Museum of Science and Energy site on South Tulane Avenue.

The apartment complex could include 217 units in seven three-story buildings on the 10-acre site. They would be built where the former AMSE building and its big parking lot are now. AMSE has moved across the street to Main Street Oak Ridge, the roughly 58-acre redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

The apartment developer, Legacy Capital of Knoxville, anticipates that construction could begin at the site in the late spring or early summer of next year and last about 18 months, said company president Daniel Smith.

Smith and Mark Bialik, owner of GBS Engineering of Knoxville, presented information on the $25 million to $30 million project to the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission during a Monday evening work session. They plan to present what is known as a planned unit development for the project to the Planning Commission this month. [Read more…]

Traffic Safety, Environmental Advisory board member running for City Council

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Aditya "Doc" Savara

Aditya “Doc” Savara

Aditya “Doc” Savara, a member of two city boards, is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 municipal election.

In a press release, Savara said he has been involved in local politics during the past two years and served on the Traffic Safety Advisory Board and the Environmental Quality Advisory Board. Savara said he has attended and commented during public comment periods at City Council meetings, is knowledgeable about the issues facing the city, and has been vocal about them.

“In 2012-2013, an ordinance came before Oak Ridge City Council regarding whether property owners Jack and Myra Mansfield could build a single home on their property in a neighborhood zoned as R1, for single-family dwellings,” Savara said in the release. “Adjacent homeowners asserted property values would drop if the Mansfields were allowed to build a home on the open space. I pointed out that the neighbors could have bought the open property themselves if they wanted to keep it as open space. I stated that the neighbors didn’t want to buy the cow, but wanted to have the milk for free, and that it was not too late for the neighbors to make the Mansfields a fair offer. [Read more…]

New low-income apartments for seniors under construction

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Information from WYSH Radio

A new three-story apartment complex for very low-income seniors over the age of 62 is currently being constructed in Oak Ridge and could be open for occupancy by next spring.

Dogwood Manor Apartments is being built behind Linda Brown Realty on Oak Ridge Turnpike and is funded by a federal Housing and Urban Development grant worth $3.1 million. The new facility will feature 23 one-bedroom apartments and a two-bedroom apartment for the on-site manager. The apartments are all designed to be handicap-accessible and one unit will be designed for use by someone with vision or hearing impairments.

Residents would pay 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities in the subsidized housing complex. The work is being performed by J&S Construction of Cookeville.

Burned pot of food triggers fire alarm, apartment evacuation

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Frank Callaghan Towers Fire

Oak Ridge firefighters evacuate the six floors of Frank Callaghan Towers on Fairbanks Road on Sunday morning after a burning pot of food on a stove reportedly filled hallways with smoke.

An apparent burned pot of food on a stove on the fifth floor of an Oak Ridge apartment building filled hallways with smoke on Sunday and forced firefighters to try to evacuate tenants from all six floors, Oak Ridge Deputy Fire Chief David Harrington said.

“When they opened up the door, it filled the hallways with smoke,” Harrington said.

Firefighters tried to evacuate tenants at the Callaghan Towers apartments on Fairbanks Road because they didn’t initially know the source of the 9:45 a.m. alarm, but Harrington said he wasn’t sure how many people were evacuated.

[Read more…]

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