Drivers along the south side of Lovell Road in western Knox County have been watching a quiet stretch of land near Hibbert Road and wondering what's coming next. The answer: a development called Lovell Road Townhomes, approved to bring 60 townhomes and two eight-unit apartment buildings to a roughly 16-acre tract, according to planning records.
A Knoxville Reader Wanted Answers
The question came from a reader named Joe Parker, who asked Knox News about plans for the site, a detail reported in the Knoxville News Sentinel. The project sits on the south side of Lovell Road in western Knox County, and the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission case file identifies it as Lovell Road Townhomes, per a case summary from kgis.org. That document lists King Properties & Development LLC as the applicant and places the parcel on the south side of Lovell Road, west of its intersection with Hibbert Road.
Planning Commission records show the development plan was approved with conditions at a meeting on June 12, 2025. The approved plan calls for 60 townhomes and two eight-unit apartment buildings, amounting to 16 multifamily units split between the two structures, according to the same case summary. Notably, an earlier traffic study filed with agenda.knoxplanning.org described the project differently, stating that “the Lovell Road Townhomes proposes 76 single-family attached units.” The case summary's final description of 60 townhomes plus two eight-unit apartment buildings does not match that earlier traffic-study figure, and the available records don't explain the discrepancy.
Density, Setbacks and Site Design
The approved plan works out to a density of 4.79 dwelling units per acre, just under the zone's maximum of 5 dwelling units per acre, according to the project's page on knoxplanning.org. Commissioners also approved a peripheral setback reduction from 35 feet down to 20 feet, subject to eight conditions attached to the approval, per the kgis.org case summary. Planning staff separately recommended capping building heights at 35 feet across the development, the knoxplanning.org case page notes.
Vehicle access to the townhomes and apartments will run through a private driveway system connecting to Lovell Road, rather than a public street grid, per the same planning case page. New homes will have access to Plumb Creek Park, planners reported, through a greenway easement provided along the rear of the property. The case page pegs that park at 0.3 miles away on Hickey Road.
What the Traffic Study Found
A traffic impact analysis was prepared for the development, according to the filing on agenda.knoxplanning.org. That analysis assumed the project would reach full buildout by 2028. The same study discussed a proposed roadway connection known as McClain Farm Way.
The study also noted a separate, long-planned widening of Lovell Road, covering roughly 1.7 miles, with a 2030 horizon year — but that widening wasn't factored into the traffic analysis because it isn't currently listed in the Tennessee Department of Transportation's 10-year project plan. A related county planning document, the kgis.org case summary, points to an even longer timeline for road improvements: the 2050 Mobility Plan calls for widening Lovell Road from two lanes to four, with pedestrian and bicycle facilities, but sets an expected completion year of 2035.
Part of a Broader Westward Shift
The Lovell Road project lands in a part of Knox County that has been absorbing growth for decades. Knox County has tracked a westward shift in its population since 1980, according to a Knoxville-Knox County Planning study cited by USA Today. Between 1990 and 2020, the county's southwest corner grew 104.3% in population while its northwest corner grew 86.5%, per that same reporting. Those two corners of the county combined accounted for nearly half of all building permits issued between 2011 and 2020, USA Today reported — a trend that helps explain why a roughly 16-acre tract off Lovell Road is now headed toward dozens of new townhomes and apartments.
Planning Commission decisions may be appealed to the Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals or a court of competent jurisdiction within 30 days, according to the knoxplanning.org case page. Developers are moving dirt on the townhomes and apartment buildings, indicating that site work has started.
