WEBER CITY – A developer has signed on to turn the Riverview area near Weber City into a mixed-use residential community.
The Scott County Economic Development Authority and Knoxville-based Solinity announced the memorandum of understanding Tuesday for a phased development of 100 acres bordered by U.S. Route 23 and the Holston River North Fork.
The Riverside development aims for a multigenerational community including senior and non-age restricted housing, Solinity CEO Joshua Crisp said Tuesday.
Solinity identifies itself as a “master plan developer, owner, and operator of senior living and multi-generational mixed use communities,” according to a statement issued Tuesday.
“There is so much natural beauty for people to discover in this region,” Crisp said, “and Scott County and we are proud to partner in a shared vision of creating a destination for generations to come.”
Crisp cited “new housing and services for local families,” job creation and revenue for Scott County as part of the project’s impact.
“We started talking with the EDA within the past 12 months,” said Crisp. “We’d heard about Scott County looking for potential development partners and this crossed my desk.”
Scott County’s proximity to Solinity’s Tennessee development focus fit with the company’s business plan, Crisp added.
Site planning is in preliminary stages, Crisp said, with an engineering assessment of the site expected within about two months. Actual development would be in phases with a five-year target to complete the project’s master plan.
Crisp said the project plan calls for a combination of assisted and independent living housing for seniors, along with workforce housing, retail, restaurants, child daycare and green space.
Knoxville-based architectural firm DKLEVY is overseeing the master plan design.
“I don’t think specific sectors of the development will be too impacted because of demographic needs,” Crisp said when asked if economic developments from recent Trump administration actions would affect the project. “A surplus of unmet demand is expected to peak by 2027 and beyond.”
A concept map of the Riverside project includes non-age-restricted housing along the Holston and western sides of the property; retail sites along the U.S. 23 frontage; assisted and independent living facilities and daycare within the center area; and park and walking trail greenspace.
The concept map could change as site engineering is finalized and development partners are identified for the various site uses, Crisp said.
EDA Executive Director John Kilgore said the EDA board sees the Solinity agreement as a way to bring some needed elements into the county.
“We have nursing homes but no assisted living facilities in the county,” said Kilgore. “The last daycare facility closed a while back, and housing is a major need.”
The EDA acquired the Riverview property approximately 15 years ago, Kilgore said, and plans to retain the former TeleTech building site for the near future. Church on the Go has signed a three-year lease for the building, and Crisp said development plans do not yet include any changes to that site.
“(The church) fits well in our master plan, and we want to weave ourselves into the fabric of the community,” said Crisp.
Traffic access to the Riverview property improved after the Virginia Department of Transportation made a northbound left turn lane part of the U.S. Route 23 Holston River bridge renovation, Kilgore said. Whether a traffic light at the Riverside entrance is needed will be a matter for discussion as the development progresses, he added.
Online:
Solinity: https://solinity.com