Oak Ridge Today

History Museum to celebrate new Hutment Exhibit

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The Oak Ridge History Museum will celebrate the opening of its Hutment Exhibit with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 1, 2023. A hutment from the Manhattan Project during World War II is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge History Museum will celebrate the opening of its Hutment Exhibit with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 1.

The Hutment Exhibit “promises to transport visitors back in time to the Oak Ridge Manhattan Project era,” a press release said.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will celebrate the exhibit’s opening and “offer an unparalleled glimpse into a piece of history that shaped America,” the press release said.

The Hutment Exhibit will feature an authentic reproduction of a Manhattan Project “Hutment,” showcasing the living conditions of the workers who helped construct the wartime manufacturing facilities during World War II.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber leads TVA Community Livability Initiative: Program will showcase livability assets

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has been chosen by the Tennessee Valley Authority to participate in TVA’s Community Livability Initiative. The purpose of the program is to map and showcase Oak Ridge’s livability assets and increase the likelihood that the community will be viewed as inviting and vibrant by companies and talent seeking locations, a press release said.

The asset mapping will be conducted by volunteers of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce as well as other community volunteers working with the chamber. The process will culminate in a July showcase to TVA Economic Development staff and Newmark Knight Frank consultants, the press release said.

Kelly Callison, senior vice president of operations for Information International Associates and chair of the Chamber-led Housing Committee said: “It’s exciting to see the hard work of the Housing Committee is a part of securing this opportunity. The housing study commissioned by the Chamber in 2017 and implemented over the past two years is bearing fruit as we see new houses coming out of the ground. The collaboration between the Chamber, the city, Realtors, the school system, Oak Ridge Land Bank, and the Oak Ridge Housing Authority in one joint effort has certainly been a big part of solving problems and maintaining accountability related to follow through on the study’s recommendation.” [Read more…]

Council gives final approval to new housing development in east Oak Ridge

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Oak Ridge officials approved a plan in November 2018 that would allow a new residential development on more than 100 acres off Edgemoor Road in east Oak Ridge. This is the view looking toward the part of the development that would be called Harbour Pointe A and Harbour Pointe B on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge officials approved a plan in November and December 2018 that will allow a new residential development on more than 100 acres off Edgemoor Road in east Oak Ridge. This is the view looking toward the part of the development that will be called Harbour Pointe A and Harbour Pointe B on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

In its second and final vote, the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday approved a plan that will allow a new residential development on more than 100 acres off Edgemoor Road in east Oak Ridge.

It’s a significant change to what had originally been expected on the property in a master plan adopted in 2009. That was for a planned unit development called Centennial Village.

The new development, which required changes to the Centennial Village master plan, will be called Harbour Pointe. It could include 310 lots on 117 acres. Of the lots, 186 could be single-family and 124 could be multi-family.

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission unanimously approved re-zonings and a preliminary master plan for Harbour Pointe, subject to certain conditions, during a special meeting on Monday, November 5. The Oak Ridge City Council then unanimously approved them, with the Planning Commission conditions included, on Monday, November 12. [Read more…]

Today: State of city housing to be discussed

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The speaker for Lunch with the League on Tuesday, September 18, will be Anne Dunthorn, commissioner of the Oak Ridge Housing Authority. Her discussion will include current initiatives for middle class families and new initiatives for permanent and rental housing, a press release said.

The meeting will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, the press release said.

A longtime citizen of Oak Ridge and Anderson County, Dunthorn has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Tennessee. She has served as business manager and consultant with C F Systems, technical consulting services, since 1977.  In the Housing and Urban Development arena, her work has included serving as grant writer, team leader, and developer of multi-family properties for nonprofit organizations that target people with special needs, the press release said. [Read more…]

Land Bank perspective on Oak Ridge housing to be discussed Tuesday

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Charlie Jernigan July 11 2016

Charlie Jernigan, chair of the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

“Housing in Oak Ridge is a topic of great interest for a large and diverse group of people as well as government and business entities,” said Charlie Jernigan. “To really understand what is happening with housing, it is important to know its status now, the important entities involved, and the game plans going forward.”

Jernigan will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, May 2, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

“Now is an exciting time for Oak Ridge, with growth and positive change in many different arenas,” Jernigan said. “Housing is one of those areas presenting significant challenges, as well as opportunities for significant improvement. The city has reached a hinge point regarding housing: we have several options for our way forward, and one of these paths will take us where we need to be. Instead of choosing the current route of stagnation and further decay, we can decide to move in the direction of renewal and growth, and blaze a trail of improved housing throughout the city.” [Read more…]

Housing report recommends more new homes, rental units

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and its Housing Task Force, which was chaired by Melinda Hillman, right, presented a housing report to the Oak Ridge City Council during a non-voting work session on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and its Housing Task Force, which was chaired by Melinda Hillman, right, present a housing report to the Oak Ridge City Council during a non-voting work session on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. At left is Parker Hardy, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce president. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The competition to provide housing for workers is fierce, and Oak Ridge needs more new homes in the $180,000-$280,000 price range and more rental units in the $900-$1,200 price range, according to a housing report presented to Oak Ridge City Council by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

Also proposed in the housing report: the development of attractive, convenient mixed use gathering spaces; improving the appearance of existing neighborhoods through aggressive codes enforcement; beautification projects in public spaces to make Oak Ridge more appealing; developing and implementing a consistent “brand” for Oak Ridge that encompasses livability, economic development, and tourism; incentivizing home improvements in the Manhattan District Overlay; and developing public/private partnerships to work on housing.

The report, which was presented to City Council in a non-voting work session on Tuesday, studied where Oak Ridge employees live, based upon the zip codes of 7,372 employees from eight major Oak Ridge employers. It found that 22 percent of Oak Ridge workers live in Oak Ridge. That’s compared to 44 percent who live in Knox County, primarily in Farragut, Hardin Valley, Northshore, Karns, and Cedar Bluff.

Ten percent of the Oak Ridge workers live in Roane County, 6 percent live in Clinton, and less than five percent each live in Loudon, Blount, Morgan, and other counties, the report said.

The housing report only reviewed Oak Ridge as it compares to the five most popular communities where people who work in Oak Ridge choose to live (Farragut, Hardin Valley, Northshore, Karns, and Cedar Bluff).

“Competition for residents is fierce, and Oak Ridge competes with some of the most desirable communities in the region,” the report said. [Read more…]

Last seven days have been great for Oak Ridge, mayor says; read presentation here

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warren-gooch-2016

Warren Gooch (2016 file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This is a lightly edited version of a presentation that Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch gave to the East Tennessee Economic Council on Friday, September 9.

It is a pleasure for me to be here this morning as I begin my 22nd month as mayor and to share my thoughts about the positive direction of our city, and why that is important to you and your companies. First, I want to thank you for supporting Oak Ridge and investing your time and your money here.

My family and I have lived in Oak Ridge for 23 years. But my law firm, Kramer Rayson, has been involved in one way or another with Oak Ridge from its earliest days when our founding partner, Russell Kramer, received a call from an old friend in Washington. (Gooch tells a story about a telephone call with President Roosevelt.)

By any standard, the last seven days have been great for Oak Ridge and have increased the excitement that is being expressed about the momentum of our city.

First, demolition has accelerated at the old mall as construction for Main Street Oak Ridge ushers in a new and exciting era for our community. The tax increment financing (TIF) loan for Main Street had closed, and so has the loan for the new Marriott hotel that is being built. The importance of Main Street Oak Ridge to the image and self-confidence of our city and the economic vitality of Oak Ridge, Anderson, and Roane counties cannot be overstated. The success of Main Street and the continued redevelopment of our center city’s retail, residential, and commercial properties is my number one priority. We must work hard to maintain this momentum and take full advantage of it in the coming months. If we are successful, it will help you recruit the new workers you require for your businesses.

Second, LeMond Composites announced its licensing agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and that the company is coming to Oak Ridge to manufacture innovative, high-volume, low-cost, carbon fiber in the Horizon Center Industrial Park.

Third, the National Park Service named Kris Kirby as the superintendent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. [Read more…]

Council to discuss city marketing, eighth rowing lane, housing, Main Street

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SIRA-Regatta-April-17-2016-6

Officials and referees monitor races on the seven-lane rowing course at the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Tuesday will discuss city marketing, the potential eighth lane at the rowing course, housing, and Main Street Oak Ridge.

The issues will be discussed during a non-voting work session of the Oak Ridge City Council at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, in the Multipurpose Room of the Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane, which is behind the Kmart shopping center.

There are other agenda items that could also be discussed: pending U.S. Department of Energy projects and public comment requests, and updates on the Oak Ridge Senior Center and Friendship Bell.

The report on visitation marketing will be presented by Marc DeRose, executive director of Explore Oak Ridge (the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau). [Read more…]

Tennessee housing agency to announce blight elimination partnership with Oak Ridge

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THDA Perrey and Gooch June 8 2016

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency awarded the City of Oak Ridge a $500,000 grant on Wednesday, June 9, 2016, that will be used to renovate more than 60 single-family homes. Pictured above are THDA Executive Director Ralph M. Perrey, left, and Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. THDA and Perrey will be back on Monday, July 11, to announce a partnership with the City of Oak Ridge to support the implementation of THDA’s Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program, or BEP. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency will announce a partnership with the City of Oak Ridge to support the implementation of THDA’s Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program, or BEP, on Monday.

The announcement will be made by THDA Executive Director Ralph Perrey at 1:30 p.m. Monday, July 11. The announcement will be made in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom, which is located at 200 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program assists with the removal of blighted properties in targeted areas within Tennessee, a media advisory said. THDA works in partnership with approved program partners to strategically target residential single-family properties for demolition, site improvement, and acceptable reuse, the advisory said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge receives $500,000 housing grant

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Oak Ridge has received a $500,000 state housing grant from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency.

The city will use the THDA funds to renovate and weatherize 63 owner-occupied, single-family homes in the Manhattan District Overlay zone, a press release said.

The grant award will be presented to the City of Oak Ridge at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, at 138 South Purdue Avenue in the Woodland neighborhood.

That property at the corner of South Purdue Avenue and Northwestern Avenue is the site of a recent project that is part of the city’s effort to renovate substandard houses. The City of Oak Ridge bought a blighted home there in April 2014 and demolished it in June 2014. [Read more…]

City publishes summary of Oak Ridge Land Bank Partnership Strategy Workshop

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By City of Oak Ridge

On November 6, 2015, the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corporation, in conjunction with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, hosted the second Housing Strategy Work Session. The purpose of this meeting was to identify willing partners in the effort to improve housing quality in the City of Oak Ridge.

As a result of this collaborative meeting, feedback was gathered from six identified stakeholder groups, each having their own perspective on what needs to be done and what they could do in addressing the city’s identified housing challenges.

The participating stakeholder groups offered the following input:

Banks

[Read more…]

Land Bank ‘ahead of curve’ in repairing, redeveloping blighted homes

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Matt Widner and Charlie Jernigan Nov. 6, 2015

Matt Widner, Oak Ridge Community Development housing specialist, left, and Charlie Jernigan, board chair for the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp., are pictured above during a housing work session on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A two-year-old effort to repair or redevelop blighted and abandoned homes in Oak Ridge is making above-average progress, an official said in November.

The Oak Ridge Land Bank Corporation, the first of its kind in Tennessee, has sold two homes and donated two and has more listed, board chair Charlie Jernigan said.

Other land banks around the country haven’t had any sales until their third year.

“We’re ahead of that curve,” Jernigan said after a November 6 work session on housing at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, the second this year. [Read more…]