There's passion driving those who shape downtown Knoxville

Downtown development is like my life.

You can read that as a lazy expression reflecting just how much I’m absorbed by Knoxville’s growth, or as a simile comparing the city’s evolution to my own ups and downs that led me here in the first place.

Either interpretation would be true.

Downtown Knoxville, like me, is at a turning point. For the past six years, I have watched the city grow up and out like a high school graduate spreading his wings and soaring off to college.

I remember when that student was me, sure of the journalism path but not my destination. Would I become an industry-leading music writer backstage at my favorite festivals? Or an esteemed sports host stationed at the ESPN headquarters near my Connecticut family?

Somewhere along the way I fell in love, not with a place but with the concept of places. Places where a well-told story can make all the difference to the people who live there.

Lost projects of Knoxville: Why big promises often come with unexpected delays

In the business, we call it community journalism, though the word “community” is just about as vague as my opening statement. It can be any place, any subset of people, any topic that people gather around.

In May 2018, as the newest reporter at Knox News, I was assigned my community: downtown Knoxville. Today, I know it simply as my home.

If you’ve read a story about downtown in the past six years, there’s a good chance I wrote it. From backstage at concerts to the front lines of protests to the underground pathways beneath Gay Street, it seems like I’ve been everywhere.

And throughout my journalistic journeys, I’ve come to realize these three truths.

One: Perhaps my most pleasant finding is that many people with the power to make a difference downtown care about this city as much as you and I do.

Sure, greed exists and mistakes are made. But only a fool would take a chance on something where there isn’t a need, and Knoxville residents are thirsty for theirs to be met: more housing, more amenities, more ideas that improve quality of life, to name a few.

That’s what developers are trying to do. And when needs are not being met or public resources are not being used as they should, journalists like myself will be there to hold the powerful accountable.

But the story you’ve read or are about to read about “stalled projects” is not that.

There’s some irony in what I’m about to say, as editors would rightfully reprimand me for burying important information in a story. But with downtown experiencing a turning point, mine is happening now at Knox News as I transition from downtown reporter to growth and development editor – interim, for the time being.

We’ll talk more about what that means in a moment, but I bring it up now to say this: As I was preparing for this change, I started thinking about what downtown projects I needed to follow up on before I spread my wings again. The list was longer than I imagined.

As I reached out to developers, each one talked about their visions and their dreams being delayed by outside factors – more calmly than I would if millions of my dollars were on the line.

It was a reminder of how unexpected life can be and how many times I’ve been burned by things beyond my control. It can set you back, but if you trust the process and remember why you’re doing it – for your family, for your neighbors, for your community – it all pays off. You make progress.

We’re not all that different. We all breathe and we all dream, even if those dreams don’t always make sense to others, whether that’s endlessly freefalling from the Sunsphere in your sleep or building a 16-story apartment building along the Tennessee River. It’s all a reminder that …

Two: Downtown growth takes patience and some grace. That one comes from Miss P, a longtime Gay Street resident I highlighted in an award-winning feature story about changes in the city seen over multiple decades through her eyes.

I can only hope that one day I’ve seen Knoxville change so much that I become a historical source like Miss P. Because my dream is to be here – at Knox News and with roots planted in Knoxville – as long as the Scruffy City will have me.

As Knox News continues to report on the projects we highlighted in our cover piece, I may not always be the one behind the byline as editor. But the relationships I’ve made, the skills I’ve garnered and the knowledge I’ve absorbed about this fine city will be carried with me and shared with others in my new role.

You’ll still read my writing – even if it’s not as frequent – and you’ll still see me around downtown. This is my home, after all.

As I take over leading our business growth and development reporters, each one deeply passionate about sharing the stories that matter most, the expectation is that we won’t miss a beat. Even as roles change, just as downtown evolves, Knox News will continue to keep our community’s needs in mind.

Because three: Development is like our life as journalists, as we build stories that create conversations and begin to develop change.

For any community, local journalism like you see highlighted each Sunday is needed now more than ever. Because when change is the only constant – and there’s a lot happening in Knoxville, despite the setbacks – you deserve to know. Read all about it at knoxnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Downtown Knoxville's development starts with the passion