KNOXVILLE — The Fourth and Gill Neighborhood Association has added a rule to its meeting procedures that bars anyone presenting a development from saying “walkable” or “vibrant.” Members adopted it at their last meeting because they were tired of hearing those words at every rezoning presentation. Chairwoman Marlene Oakes keeps a laminated copy of the rule in the binder with the minutes, behind the rule about parking.
The rule was tested Thursday, when a developer presenting an apartment building asked whether “strollable” was allowed. Oakes said she would take the question to the members and asked him to wait in the hall. Secretary Beth Lawson carried his coffee out to him and propped the door open so he could hear when they were done.
Inside, the members spent a while on “strollable” before resident Ray Poteet asked to go back to the driveway on the site plan, which he has asked about at every meeting since spring.
“I don’t have a problem with the picture,” Poteet said. “It’s the people sitting outside with their coffee, every presentation has them in the picture. I know that lady’s coat by now. But the driveway comes out on Broadway, right where the, well, can we just get the driveway up on the screen?”
Oakes thanked Poteet for bringing it up again. The members then approved “easy to walk around” for use in the presentation, and Oakes called the developer back in. He read the new wording off a sticky note on his laptop.
His last slide still said “vibrant,” and Lawson wrote it down for the minutes.