Blount County’s Downtowns are Flourishing

Nathan Lambrecht

Blount County, Tennessee’s downtowns are experiencing a surge of new development. In Alcoa, one of the largest construction projects in progress is the repurposing of the former Alcoa West Plant site, which sat empty for several years. Today, the property is being transformed into SpringBrook Farm, a development that will create a town center for Alcoa.

Hotels, recreational trails and offices are all a part of the project. New shops and restaurants, including Texas Roadhouse, Swig and Kickback Jack’s, are also making the area more of an entertainment destination.

Another highlight of the town center is a two-building, 300-unit apartment complex called Vital at SpringBrook.

“This is an exciting project, and there are additional plans to eventually repurpose more of the
abandoned Alcoa West Plant buildings,” says Jeremy Pearson, Alcoa city planner.

Movement in Maryville

In Maryville, Maryville College Downtown Center opened in 2024 on Court Street in the former J&K Grocery building. Renovations of the historic space took more than a year to complete. Highlights of the new center include two hospitality course classrooms, a teaching/ demonstration kitchen and brewing equipment for the college’s fermentation sciences minor.

Nathan Lambrecht

Peaceful Side Social is a well-known restaurant in Townsend. Now, Peaceful Side Brewery is open on Everett Avenue in Maryville, with a variety of craft brews and American food classics, from smash burgers to sweet-tea-brined chicken tenders.

Another upcoming addition to the downtown Maryville landscape will be The Armory, scheduled to open in mid-2025 on Ellis Avenue. The two-story building will feature a restaurant, bar, bowling lanes, video gaming spaces, a main-level outdoor patio and roof deck.

“The Armory is a needed entertainment center for downtown, and it will look like an old military armory that once existed on the same property and then sat vacant for many years,” says Amanda Gillooly, executive director of Downtown Maryville Alliance. “The old armory has been demolished, and now The Armory entertainment center is being built as a replica.”

Nathan Lambrecht

More downtown developments include the opening of The Mill House at Pistol Creek condominiums.

A $16 million, 98-room Holiday Inn will become the first hotel in the downtown district. Construction of the four-story building began in late 2024 and is slated for completion in early 2026.

While downtown Maryville grows, the city continues to prioritize outdoor recreation and public art. Weaving through Blount County, the Maryville-Alcoa Greenway is an 18-mile paved trail, often utilized by runners, walkers and bikers. Gillooly says “wayfinding” signage has been installed to direct people to places like the greenway.

Also, as part of its “Art in Public Places” program, Knoxville-based Dogwood Arts installed permanent sculptures along the greenway in 2024, and those can be found near places like Vienna Coffee Company, the Greenbelt Amphitheatre and the entrance of the Greenbelt Pavilion by Court Street.

Green Light for Greenway Village

Greenway Village, a retail and restaurant plaza, is set to open in mid-2025. Greenway Village will be centrally located between Maryville City Hall and the Blount County Courthouse on property where long-time local law firm Kizer & Black was originally located.

Jeff Adkins

“My wife, Nicole, and I actually live in downtown Maryville next to the land I purchased to develop into Greenway Village,” says James Tomiczek, owner of VISION Property Services. “A nice part of the project is that the Maryville-Alcoa Greenway runs right through the middle of the development.”

Tomiczek says Greenway Village will feature businesses that he wants to see downtown, including an Italian restaurant, wine bar, coffee shop, pizza and beer restaurant, golf simulator and pilates studio.

“Site work and infrastructure for the property will be completed in 2024, and construction will continue until the first buildings are ready to open in mid-2025,” Tomiczek says. “[Greenway Village] is a very personal project for me because my wife and I want to live in downtown Maryville for many decades to come.”