Progress in Johnson City: City Manager gives overview of ongoing projects

As she approaches the five-year mark of overseeing city operations, Johnson City Manager Cathy Ball explained what the word "progress" means to her. "We know that this is a great place to live. It's been recognized in a lot of different places. I think, making sure that we manage it in a way that the growth doesn't overtake us," Ball said. "So that the Johnson City just doesn't become unrecognizable to people who have lived here their whole life." To Ball, real progress means managing growth, maintaining a strong city workforce and listening to the community. "If we're not cutting the grass or picking up trash or sweeping the streets or any number of things," Ball said. "If those things start being overcome because growth is happening and we're not able to focus on taking care of those small things, then very quickly, a community that was very desirable can become a community that people do not want to be a part of." Taking care of the people who take care of these small things are one of Ball's top priorities. "It's continuing to make sure that we have a workforce that stays motivated and is able to serve our community and that we continue to be an employer of choice," Ball said. "I think that has to be intentional. I think that our community — I'm very thankful that they understand and appreciate how important that is." Besides city staff, she also said she sees community input as the city's guide ahead of big decisions. "It's making sure that we listen to the community, what the commissioners prioritize in terms of things that they want to see moving forward," Ball said. In her interview with the Johnson City Press, Ball also gave updates on several ongoing projects and developments, including on housing, infrastructure and recreational facilities. The current site of the future Burlington Mills complex. City officials expect developers to break ground on the project within the next two months. MADELYN SCHNEIDER/SIX RIVERS MEDIA Burlington Mills The $240 million residential and retail development project is expected to break ground within the next two months, according to Ball. The Burlington Mills complex is planned on a 34-acre piece of land sandwiched between West Walnut Street and McKinley Road. Once complete, it will add 1,049 housing units According to a city presentation from December 2025, it will support approximately 730 jobs, and bring in $1.3 million in annual sales tax and $1.6 million in annual indirect property and sales tax. The current John Sevier Center is the tallest building in downtown Johnson City. A city-selected developer will soon begin to transform the building into a boutique hotel. MADELYN SCHNEIDER/SIX RIVERS MEDIA Sevier Hotel A project that will convert the current downtown John Sevier Center into a 136-room boutique hotel coming to fruition as the city continues to work with developers on the transformation. Ball said the city is still working with the developer on the project, Lansing Melbourne Group (LMG), on a development agreement. This will include more concrete details about city investment and what hotel flagship or what the retail space will look like. "We're working with them on a development agreement, and it will be September, I think before we see … anything like that kind of detail come out of it," Ball said. At a previous Johnson City Development Authority meeting, a representative from LMG said the company would begin construction once the development agreement is finalized. In late February, city and county officials asked Gov. Bill Lee for $2.5 million in state funding to support the project. This is a portion of $6 to $8 million in estimated city investment, out of the total $66 million redevelopment, according to city officials. As the last part of the greater West Walnut Street corridor project, construction of the Cherokee stormwater basin is set to be complete by the end of September, according to city officials. "It will have a walking area around it. It will have some artwork around it, places for people to go and sit," Ball said. "It's really intended to be an amenity, but the main purpose of it is to keep the area from flooding." The stormwater basin will sit on the corner of Cherokee Street and West State of Franklin Road. It's funded by a $3.3 million Resource Protection Grant from the state that requires the project to be complete by the end of September. A look at the improvements made at the West Oakland construction site. Officials said in February that the city's portion of the project will be complete later this year, as the state takes over the rest. CONTRIBUTED/CITY OF JOHNSON CITY West Mountainview interchange, Knob Creek project The city's half of a four-phase traffic improvement project on and around Knob Creek Road is set to be complete by October, according to city officials. So far the project has widened West Oakland with center turn lanes and plans to do the same for West Mountainview from its convergence with West Oakland to Knob Creek. The state is handling the last portion of the project that will widen Knob Creek Road from two to five lanes and eventually will extend the roadway to Boones Creek Road. In addition to widening Knob Creek, the one-way railroad underpass tunnel will be replaced by an overpass. Currently, the tunnel creates difficulties for emergency response and can add upwards of 30 minutes to residents' commutes at peak times. "You have a lot of new apartment complexes that are going on there and that bottleneck cannot hold the traffic," Ball said of the current traffic issue. "As a result of that … it has caused more people to take I-26, and from our studies, it appears that there's more accidents that occur on I-26 because of it." Ball said this was an oversight on the city's part. "This is what we were talking about with growth management — it's one of those things that we honestly didn't get ahead of." The current pump track at Tannery Knobs Park. The city plans to add a pump track designed for children at the southern part of Tannery. MADELYN SCHNEIDER/SIX RIVERS MEDIA Tannery Knobs kids pump track Ball did not have an expected completion date for a project that would add a children's bicycle playground on the south side of the 40-acre Tannery Knobs mountain bike park. The city has already begun work to build a road into lower Tannery that will eventually add a pavilion, restrooms, lighting and security camera to the area. The new pump track is intended to expand access to people of all ages and skill-level. "This is intended for more of the younger kids and the folks like me who don't know how to bike as well, but I don't have the dates on when that's expected to be completed," Ball said. A Tweetsie Trail crossing sign at the Cherry Street plaza in Downtown Johnson City. Johnson City's portion of the First Frontier Trail will include connecting East Tennessee State University to Willow Springs Park. MADELYN SCHNEIDER/SIX RIVERS MEDIA Johnson City's part of First Frontier Trail The First Frontier Trail encompasses the current Tweetsie Trail in Johnson City to other existing trails from Jonesborough to Carter County for a total 25-mile connected trail. "The First Frontier trail will connect from ETSU to Willow Springs Park. Now some of that will be in the way of widening sidewalks. Some of it will go across property, being more of a greenway-type piece, but a lot of it will be just widening sidewalks so that it will be bikeable and walkable," Ball said. Johnson City's work on the trail includes a connection from West State of Franklin Road to West Walnut Street. It's expected to be completed by November 2026, according to its website.