Drivers along Millertown Pike have probably noticed the sudden flurry of heavy equipment chewing up what was once an open field. That freshly turned dirt is not a mystery project. It is the early work on a new residential subdivision that has already cleared a key hurdle with county planners.
What’s Being Built
The Knoxville‑Knox County Planning Commission signed off on a rezoning that lets a 45.04‑acre tract on the north side of Millertown Pike be developed as PR (Planned Residential) at 2.75 dwelling units per acre. That density is a step back from the applicant’s original request for 5 dwelling units per acre and works out to a buildout of roughly 123 homes. The approval also requires the rear portion of the property, where slopes are 25% or steeper, to remain undisturbed, according to the Knoxville‑Knox County Planning Commission. The filing lists Alex Botezat as the applicant and identifies the cluster of parcels along Millertown Pike that make up the development site.
Where the New Neighborhood Will Sit
Local reporting notes that most of the new houses are slated for the front half of the property, closer to Millertown Pike, while the steeper back half stays largely untouched. The subdivision entrance will be less than a mile from an Aldi and a Food City, dropping the neighborhood right next to existing shopping and services. Knoxville News Sentinel first laid out the details and maps of the project this week.
How the Land Changed Hands
The broader property went on the auction block in June 2023, marketed in four tracts, including a roughly 43‑acre piece fronting Millertown Pike. Auction materials spelled out parcel layouts and utility notes that have since helped guide planning work for the subdivision. Those documents are still part of the public record for anyone following the project. The listing remains available through Powell Auction & Realty.
Other Nearby Proposals
The Millertown corridor is drawing more than one set of blueprints. Planning records show a 6.24‑acre parcel at 5630 Millertown Pike listed as owned by Mesana Investments LLC, and county staff documents note that the company, linked with local builder Scott Davis, has pursued its own plan amendment and rezoning there. Taken together, those filings highlight a broader shift along this stretch of northeast Knox County, as farmland and open fields give way to new subdivisions. The Mesana proposal is detailed in Knox County planning records.
Traffic, Schools and Site Limits
County planning staff estimate that full buildout of the Millertown subdivision will generate about 2,128 average daily vehicle trips and could add roughly 95 public‑school students. Those projections helped shape the recommendation to keep the bulk of the homes closer to the road. The planning report also points to likely school attendance zones at Ritta Elementary, Holston Middle and Gibbs High, and flags the steep, wooded slopes at the rear of the tract as a constraint on how far the development can push back, according to the Knoxville‑Knox County Planning Commission.
What’s Next
Under county procedure, the planning commission’s recommendation now moves to a legislative hearing, where elected officials get the final say. Neighbors and other interested parties have 30 days to appeal the commission’s decision if they choose. Detailed site plans and building permits will follow whatever action the legislative body takes. For residents keeping tabs on the project, official updates will flow through county planning records and upcoming commission agendas. Timelines and procedural milestones are laid out in Knox County planning records.
