Quad Capital presents 270‑unit 'Platform' proposal for Old City in workshop; board provides detailed feedback
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Summary
Quad Capital Partners presented a conceptual 7‑story mixed‑use project (working name 'Platform') at 100 West Depot: ~270 units, ~6,700 sq ft retail, two parking podium levels and proposed 10% affordable units via a KCDC pilot. The board welcomed the concept and offered detailed design, materials, screening and noise/performance feedback; staff recommended follow‑up submissions and technical studies.
At a workshop segment of the Dec. 17 meeting developer Quad Capital Partners presented a large, conceptual mixed‑use project at 100 West Depot, a long rectangular ~2.2‑acre infill parcel in Old City. Christine Cobb (Quad Capital) and architect Adam (Noor Architecture) described a 7‑story building with two concrete podium levels for parking, five wood‑frame stories above, approximately 270 residential units, ~6,700 square feet of ground‑floor retail, three live/work units and large courtyard amenities. Cobb said the team is working with Knoxville’s housing authority (KCDC) on a pilot to make roughly 10% of units affordable.
The presentation highlighted efforts to preserve existing mature trees, mitigate a 12‑foot grade change across the site, provide significant pedestrian activation along Depot and Central streets, and incorporate public art (a proposed mural facing the rail of roughly 500 sq ft). Architect Adam described choices for a masonry‑forward facade with complementary fiber‑cement panels and prefabricated metal balconies and said the team expects to use full‑depth brick for primary facades.
Board members praised the level of detail for a workshop submission and gave focused feedback: pay attention to the articulation and treatment of the parking plinth where it meets the sidewalk, plan year‑round and durable screening species if plantings are proposed as the primary screening, show downspout and roof drainage details on submissions, clarify courtyard orientation relative to the street, and finalize geotechnical and brownfield testing (the applicant said a Phase‑1 was complete and Phase‑2 borings are planned). Several board members urged careful detailing for fiber‑cement panels and recommended exploring metal panel alternatives if guidelines require it.
The workshop closed with staff and board encouragement to return with revised plans addressing parking articulation, detailed downspout/drainage design and screening strategies; the workshop did not result in a formal vote.