Get Organized

Join or establish a community group.
If you want to take action on a land use issue, you will want to organize your neighborhood so that everyone is aware of what is going on and can help and support your efforts. You may already have a HOA or neighborhood group that is aware of the issue, or you may need to contact your neighbors to have a meeting to discuss what to do.

Many citizens form a neighborhood group only after new development has been proposed. Having an established group which meets regularly makes it easier to interact with developers. Many of the more successful community groups also invite to their meetings elected officials and planning commissioners who live nearby.

There are a variety of ways to do organize. We recommend that you collect email addresses as well as phone numbers for your neighbors so you can organize meetings and help people understand the issue and what action you want them to take. You can use apps such as NextDoor or Facebook to reach out as well as contacting people directly. The City of Knoxville has a directory of neighborhood organizations and homeowners associations that may help you reach people who will be affected. Knox County does not have a list though.

Once you understand the process and what the status of the issue is, you should try to gain a consensus on what action to take as a united group. Depending on the nature of the issue and how strongly you and your group feel about it, you may want to raise funds to hire a land-use attorney. KCPA maintains a list of neighborhood-friendly land use attorneys you may wish to consult.

What you need to understand is that from the time that you receive a public notification, either by mail or signage, the process happens quickly and you will need to act accordingly. The Applicant has had months, maybe years, to prepare for their request. Citizens have weeks to prepare their response, so time is critically important.