The City of Kingsport recently renewed an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which will allow the city to continue participating in the state’s Qualifying Local Program (QLP).

The QLP allows Kingsport to review, approve and permit a private developer’s stormwater pollution prevention plans. Once Kingsport approves such plans, developers do not have to submit their plans to TDEC for additional approval, thus saving time and money during the construction process.

Some of the most significant benefits of Kingsport being a QLP include:  

• A more streamlined and efficient process for managing stormwater plans by eliminating permit and review duplication at the local and state levels.
• Eliminating additional effort at the state level for construction site operators by providing only one set of requirements to follow.
• A more effective construction stormwater program resulting in greater water quality protection.

Kingsport has participated in the QLP program since 2016 and is one of seven systems across Tennessee acting as a QLP.

“Having this one-stop shop for permitting construction sites has been of great benefit to not only the city, but developers across the region,” said Chad Austin. “The program makes permitting quicker and saves developers some money as well.”

To achieve QLP status, Kingsport had to demonstrate its construction stormwater program met or exceeded the provisions of the state’s Construction General Permit (CGP).

The City of Kingsport has partnered with the Greater Kingsport Alliance for Development to create a corridor study for Lynn Garden Drive. GKAD is the non-profit arm of the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority.

Kimley Horn, a Nashville-based consulting firm, will conduct the study. Work will include a site visit, market research and a review of the existing land use along both sides of Lynn Garden Drive. The study will include a list of parcels that are strong/stable, as well as those that are underutilized or susceptible to change.

Kimley Horn plans to investigate the baseline and historical conditions of Lynn Garden Drive, document several demographics in that area (household composition, income, education and tenure) and then analyze the short and long-term potential for the corridor.

The study will take approximately eight months to complete with a projected end date of June 2023. Once done, Kimley Horn will present the city with a final plan that will include land use and development options, key catalyst sites, renderings for select locations along the corridor and ideas for public sector improvement projects.

Workshops will be held with the community, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Kingsport Regional Planning Commission. Kingsport has created a phase one redevelopment district for Lynn Garden. Kimley Horn will work with the city in creating the boundaries for phase two and three.

“Lynn Garden is well-situated for redevelopment and serves as a gateway into the heart of the city,” said Assistant City Manager Jessica Harmon.

The study will cost $105,000 and was paid for with American Rescue Plan Act funds.