Although discussion of the City of Knoxville’s plan for redevelopment of the Veterans Administration property has been delayed, the extra time will give the city time to coordinate with everyone concerned.

That’s according to Knoxville City Manager Aaron Adams, who says the city wants to ensure the old VA campus is put to the best possible use or uses for the benefit of residents. He tells KNIA/KRLS News one potential usage involves providing housing; even with a two percent unemployment rate in Marion County, attracting workers here is problematic due in part to lack of housing.

“Housing is such a huge challenge; it’s difficult to recruit employees, sometimes to retain employees, and with housing being one of those key issues,” Adams says. “So that’s definitely going to be a key component for us; we’re also very interested in growing and diversifying our tax base, and so, residential’s a big part of that.”

There are a number of potential uses available for the VA site; Adams says there’s enough room there to potentially accommodate one or more of these usages, as long as they all prove beneficial in the long run.

He says even a large business or industrial proposal would be considered; there are existing industrial parks in town, but the city could give serious consideration to using the VA property if the right one comes along.