Sept. 2, 2025

Sevier Avenue stakeholders welcomed some good news at a recent Old Sevier Merchants Association meeting: The upgraded 50-vehicle parking lot on Island Home Avenue, beneath James White Parkway, will become a reality within four months.
 
The contractor is already in place. Authorization for PRI of East Tennessee to do the work could go before City Council for its consideration as early as Sept. 30. 
 
The parking lot is close to Printshop Beer and Mighty Mud. It's just one-third of a mile from the heart of the Sevier Avenue district.
 
For decades, this gravel lot was less than inviting — uneven, rutted, dusty in the summertime, muddy after rainstorms.
 
Once the design plan gets finalized and the contract authorized, the upgrade work will begin. 
 
The project has grown in scope. And that's good, in terms of the parking lot being both better and safer. 
 
City Council earlier this year appropriated up to $150,000 for the project. Lighting the lot and a sidewalk were not initially a part of the project, but they've been added. The final cost has not been finalized, but the City's investment has grown to reflect the added safety amenities.
 
This month, City Public Service Department crews will be removing thick concrete slabs from the parking lot. The concrete was part of a foundation of a building that once had stood there.
 
Come Jan. 1, the new well-lit lot will be level, paved and striped. Even better, people who park there and want to patronize the businesses along Sevier Avenue can get there safely. There will be a crosswalk to a continuous sidewalk on the north side of Island Home Avenue, connecting the parking lot and Sevier Avenue. The walking route will skirt the construction zone where the new roundabout is being constructed.