Oak Ridge Land Bank issues Request for Qualifications for Downtown development
March 11, 2024, 6:54 p.m.

OAK RIDGE, TN – The Oak Ridge Land Bank (ORLB) has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to develop Downtown Oak Ridge.

The ORLB is interested in selling developable parcels to foster construction of the most desirable project and to serve as a catalyst for continued development.

“The intention is to create an intense, active, diverse, walkable and unique urban, mixed-use district,” Planning & Development Director Wayne Blasius said.

Oak Ridge was born during the Manhattan Project without a centralized, mixed-use downtown. Over the decades, multiple plans have called for creating such a place – where Oak Ridgers can live, work and play.

The Wilson Street corridor, bordering Main Street shopping near the new American Museum of Science & Energy (AMSE) location and easily accessible from Oak Ridge Turnpike and A.K. Bissell Park, provides a great opportunity to finally have a distinctive, uniquely Oak Ridge place for people to gather.

“The existence of a more urban environment, featuring apartments, condos, restaurants, local shops, offices and beautiful green space, will attract new and different businesses and people to Oak Ridge,” Blasius said.

Submittals must comply with requirements of the D-1 zoning district and will be evaluated for public benefit based on considerations listed in the RFQ. All submittals are due no later than 3 p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2024.

For more information and to view the RFQ, visit OakRidgeTN.gov/downtown. To contact the Planning & Development Department, call (865) 425-3531 or email landbank@oakridgetn.gov.