Scenic Knoxville

Home
United States
Knoxville, TN
Scenic Knoxville

Directions Website Contact the organization

Scenic Knoxville is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing scenic resources in the Knoxville, Tennessee area.

Scenic Knoxville is the first local chapter of the statewide organization Scenic Tennessee, and is also affiliated with Scenic America. Interests and activities for the group include advocating for sustainable land use policies and environmentally sound practices, advancing historic preservation of scenic landmarks, and supporting appropriate state and local legislative initiatives such as implementing billboard and signage control measures.

05/10/2026

In pockets as small as a few parking lots, miniature forests can help cool cities, quiet streets, and give birds a place to land.

04/28/2026

Friends and family gathered this afternoon to plant a tree in dedication to Gene Burr, a longtime South Knoxville resident, architect, city planner and champion of scenic beauty. He was a founding member of Scenic Knoxville and past president of Scenic Tennessee, and a member of the first East Tennessee Community Design Center board.

The Nuttall Oak, provided by Trees Knoxville, was planted in Mary Vestal Gateway Park, which Gene was largely responsible for designing and establishing.

Joyce Feld, president of Scenic Knoxville; Gene's wife of 68 years, Rosemary; Gene's ETCDC associates Duane Grieve and Perry Childress; and City Council member Karyn Adams spoke about Gene's life and legacy.

🌳"From the natural world to the built environment, he was always trying to make things better." - Joyce

🌳"Gene worked tirelessly to inform and educate communities and individuals to see and take responsibility for preserving the beauty in our shared environment. If the tree we plant today survives the vagaries of nature and humans, it will become a testament to the efforts of Gene and others like him to create and hold on to beauty in the world." - Rosemary

✍️📸 Leslie

04/25/2026

Join one of these listening sessions to let the city know what YOU would like to see in a new Comprehensive Plan. A Comprehensive Plan will guide the future vision and priorities for development in the city for the next 25 years. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard.

04/06/2026

The proposed 367,000-square-foot complex was supposed to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission on April 9 but has been postponed for 30 days. See link below ⬇️

📸 Provided by Knoxville-Knox County Planning/Michael Graves Architecture

03/29/2026

Did you know that trees are the only form of urban infrastructure that appreciate in value over time? While traditional infrastructure like roads, pipes and bridges depreciate over time, trees provide more benefits as they mature. Trees improve air quality, cool the ambient temperature, reduce flooding, lower noise pollution, increase property values, provide habitat for wildlife, improve mental health and beautify our cities. A good landscaping ordinance will grow the urban forest in Knox County.

03/26/2026

On the left is a photo of Cumberland Ave before the Cumberland Ave Revitalization project began. On the right is Cumberland Ave today. What accounts for the difference? New development standards were enacted which include new sign and landscaping requirements and the undergrounding of overhead utility lines. We don't have to live with ugly. Knox County's Unified Development Ordinance offers a rare opportunity to ensure we have good development standards that protect the beauty of our county.

03/25/2026

IMPORTANT! Sign up for an April 2 virtual public meeting to share your concerns about Signs, Landscaping, and Lighting.

In 2024 Knox County adopted a Comprehensive Land Use and Transportation Plan (https://advanceknox.org/comprehensive-plan) and Growth Policy Plan (https://advanceknox.org/growth-policy). Now, the County’s ordinance governing land use is being rewritten, with the goal of codifying plans and codes related to land use and transportation. The final document, called the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), will go before County Commission this summer.

New policies related to Signs, Landscaping, and Lighting are included in this process, giving us a chance to make Knox County a better, more beautiful place to live.

You can learn more by signing up for the April 2 Virtual Public Meeting Here. (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/UHm-tT7cTECD2uf-x8ARBQ #/registration)

For more information about the UDO and to find out about future virtual public meetings you can attend, regularly visit the Unified Development Ordinance page (https://advanceknox.org/udo/?path=udo&) on Advance Knoxville’s website.

03/21/2026

One way to get around a sign ordinance that limits the number and size of outside signs is to put up window signs that are on the inside of the window, leaving the rest of us to look at unsightly scenes like this. Scenic Knoxville is working on a new sign ordinance for Knox County that will put limits on window signs.

03/20/2026

Did you know that trees make a city more walkable and more livable? Trees provide shade, which cools the ambient temperature by as much as 10 degrees. No one wants to walk around outside for long when temperatures are over 90 degrees and there's no shade. That's why Scenic Knoxville is working on a new landscaping ordinance for Knox County that will result in the planting of more trees.

03/19/2026

Most people hate billboards and sign clutter. A good sign ordinance can protect the scenic beauty of our community by reducing unnecessary blight. Knox County's sign ordinance has been in effect for decades with little change. Scenic Knoxville is working on a better sign ordinance so we don't have to look at scenes like this.

Address

Knoxville, TN
37919

Website

http://www.scenicknoxville.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Scenic Knoxville posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Scenic Knoxville:

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Knoxville?