Chilhowee Park master‑planning tied to hydrology study; multiple public meetings planned

City staff said the urban design and engineering teams are conducting a hydrology study for Chilhowee Park and the Loaves Creek watershed to understand capacity and necessary controls before finalizing a park master plan. They said about four community meetings have already been held to show flooding scenarios and illustrate the cost tradeoffs for stormwater controls.

Rebecca Jane Justice said the public input exercises asked residents about programming priorities for the Jacobs Building and whether the park should emphasize playgrounds, walking trails or other amenities. Presenters stressed that while TIF or private development could support public infrastructure around some districts, that does not mean private development will occur within Chilhowee Park itself: "But what that doesn't mean is that there is going to be private development on publicly owned property on this specific park site," Justice said.

Why it matters: hydrology constraints and community preferences will determine the scale and cost of public‑realm investments; the study's conclusion will precede a pause for digestion of findings and then a final report and next planning phase.