HISTORY OF THE SITE
From Industrial Site to Thriving Community Enterprise
From the mid-1920s through the mid-1950s, the site upon which Rock Pointe Crossing is being developed was a surface mineral mine, specifically, a limestone quarry. It was abandoned in the mid-1950s and remained unproductive for nearly 50 years.
In 2000, developers worked with the City of Knoxville, as well as civil engineers, to convert the quarry to a 1.5 million cubic-acre fill site. The permit was narrow and extraordinarily strict, only allowing clean, compactable material from known construction sites — rock, soil and concrete — and was vigorously enforced. Many fill requests were denied because the principals could neither confirm nor provide documentation of the fill material.
The conversion of that much "thin air" to a level property seemed impossible, but projects like Knoxville TDOT’s I-40/I-75 West Knoxville interstate rework, TDOT’s Smartfix in downtown Knoxville and KUB’s Pace Ten upgrades provided enormous volumes of clean fill material in a very short time frame.
As the site reached 50% fill, the developers quickly realized that completion was indeed attainable, and that additional property should be annexed to create the boundaries of Rock Pointe Crossing. Such properties have since been consolidated with the original quarry parcel, most of which were older residential properties in decline. Rock Pointe Crossing will transform this area into a vital gateway to eastside Knoxville.
Construction is slated to begin within the year.
