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Tazewell council earmarks $30,000 to plan redevelopment of 1616 Riverside Drive
Summary
The council voted to allocate $30,000 in town funds to support planning applications for the 1616 Riverside Drive revitalization, a phased proposal that would include a commercial kitchen, a small “fab lab” workforce space and possible cannery space to support local entrepreneurs.
Tazewell — The Town of Tazewell will commit $30,000 toward planning work to redevelop the vacant Public Works site at 1616 Riverside Drive, council members voted after a presentation from the Industrial Development and Economic Authority.
Cara Spotty, chair of the IEDA, told the council the site could be converted in phases into an incubator with a commercial kitchen on the ground floor and flexible fabrication or co‑working space above. "We don't want a perfectly good building to sit empty for too long," Spotty said, urging the council to move quickly to capture a time‑limited pool of state and regional planning funds.
Jordan of the Cumberland Plateau Planning District told council that current grant cycles make the coming weeks critical. Jordan said planners advised the town that many grants require planning and design work in place before construction funding is available and that an application deadline for some opportunities looks like April 30. "You have to have the homework in place — planning, design, engineering — before you can apply for construction money," Jordan said.
Spotty and Jordan described a phased approach intended to make the site useful quickly and to position the town for larger implementation grants later. They said the town's $30,000 could serve as a local match to leverage planning grants that may provide substantially more funding; Jordan estimated typical planning grants in the region could be in the range of tens of thousands to roughly $150,000 for planning work.
Council members said the proposal fit the town's broader downtown revitalization work and would strengthen applications if the town coordinated with the county and regional partners. After discussion, a motion to allocate $30,000 for planning work and to pursue grant applications passed by voice vote.
Next steps: staff and IEDA will finalize a planning scope, pursue the relevant grant applications, and return to council with a recommended consultant and an implementation timeline.
