The City of Alcoa, in conjunction with the developers, RESIGHT of Denver, CO and former land owner, Arconic Inc., have announced the opening of Tesla Boulevard located on the site of the former Aluminum Company of America Inc. West Plant. The opening ceremony is scheduled for August 22, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. Entrance to the ceremony will be at the Hall Road and Associated Blvd. intersection.
The West Plant served as an aluminum fabrication mill beginning in 1920 until its closure in 1989. The site consists of approximately 300 acres bounded by Mills Street, Pistol Creek, Hall Road and Alcoa Highway. The road opening marks the end of a 16-month construction project which included site grading, road construction, utility infrastructure installation and landscaping in preparation for an urban development consisting of a mix of commercial, office and residential uses, named Springbrook Farm.
Running one and a quarter miles, Tesla Boulevard connects the existing Hunt Road interchange with the signalized intersection at Hall Road and Associates Boulevard and will allow for the start of development of the property within Springbrook Farm.
RESIGHT Principal Partner Mikk Anderson said, “This is an exciting day for the City of Alcoa and Blount County, and it’s certainly a landmark occasion for our company.
“The West Plant site has always been an exciting opportunity for RESIGHT because it plays to so many of our strengths: managing iconic properties, working with public-sector partners and, in particular, transforming environmentally challenged sites into flourishing assets.
“But what sealed the deal for us was the chance to invest in a place like Alcoa with a strong sense of community, great municipal leadership and a vibrant economy.”
“What an important day this is in the history of the City of Alcoa,” Mayor Don Mull stated. “This ground was once the home of the Alcoa Inc. West Plant and for 70 years provided jobs for thousands of people not just in Alcoa, but for all of Blount County and the region beyond. After decades of lying dormant, today we cut the ribbon on Tesla Boulevard and officially announce its rebirth as Springbrook Farm, a new urbanist, mixed use community which will continue the heritage of this site as an equally valuable economic engine for both the City of Alcoa and Blount County.”
Tesla Boulevard, in keeping with the City’s founding fathers naming of streets in the area for famous scientists, is named after Serbo-Croatian immigrant Nikola Tesla, known for the creating design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. He was an inventor, engineer, physicist and futurist who foresaw wireless communications, now part of our everyday lives. Tesla was also a street found on a 1921 city plat and was located near where the current city schools are situated.
The temporary traffic pattern currently in effect will change to the permanent configuration at the intersection of Tesla Boulevard and the northbound off-ramp to Hunt Road and at the 4-way intersection. Local residents should exercise caution while traveling through the new roadways.
- END -