First Baptist Church of Concord owns the 26 acre property that includes Shoreline Church on the northeast corner of Westland Drive and Pellissippi Parkway interchange.  It has recently requested the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) to change the plans for this property and rezone the entire 26 acres to allow commercial development.  The MPC will consider this issue at its July 9, 2015 meeting.

When the Pellissippi Parkway was built and the decision was made to construct an interchange at Westland Drive, the land use plans and the promises to the community called for Westland Drive to remain residential.  Consistent with these assumptions, the Westland Drive interchange was designed for residential development, not commercial development.

The state has, in the last month, just completed a multi-million $ renovation of the Westland/Pellissippi intersection including installation of traffic signals, additional turn lanes, entrance ramps, and drainage - all based and designed on the current designation of the area as residential.

This improvement by the state has significantly improved the flow of traffic and made it safer for pedestrians and motorists alike. Allowing commercial development of this area will essentially wipe out the improvements done by the state, leading to increased safety hazards and a decline in the overall desirability of our neighborhoods.

Sign the petition and let the MPC know that they should vote "NO" to changing plans and the zoning to commercial for this 26 acre tract.