Big plans rising on Watt Road
-
An architect’s rendering shows the layout for phase one of Prosperity Crossing, a sports-oriented entertainment development underway off Watt Road. The first phase includes seven sports fields that can accommodate soccer, football, rugby and lacrosse. The development also includes water sports, pickleball and other sports opportunities. - Rendering courtesy of Maddox Companies
-
Along with sports entertainment facilities, the development also includes apartments in Prosperity Crossing, which already are built and operating. - Rendering courtesy of Maddox Companies
After four and a half years of moving dirt, Prosperity Crossing is progressing along as a family-friendly, sports-oriented entertainment development off Watt Road.
During that time, the developers took a mountain and moved 4.8 million cubic yards of earth to create pads for a sports park, 288 apartments, retail, restaurants, hotels, entertainment, a water sports area, medical center, sports training facilities and more.
Phase one of the sports park includes seven full-size, rectangular, fully turf multi-use fields, which can be used for soccer, lacrosse, football, rugby fields for men, women and youth, said Dalton Maddox, vice president of Maddox Companies.
“Youth can play a cross field on them, so it would actually be the equivalent of 14 youth fields,” he said. “All of them one level, all with bathrooms, all lit, concessions and all with individual seating,” he added. “So it really should be the highest tournament-style fields anywhere in the region here.”
Additionally, Dalton said the company has an additional piece of property on which they could put up to 15 more fields down the line.
“We’re putting the [seven fields] first to see how the market responds to them,” he said.
The development is the second largest land development in East Tennessee, only behind Turkey Creek, according to Maddox Companies owner/developer Steven “Steve” Maddox.
About 85 percent of the project is in Knox County with a section also in Loudon County.
“It’s the largest earth-moving project in the state,” Steve said. “We’ve been moving that dirt now for four and a half years.”
In addition to the grading work, he said 80% of the utilities are installed.
“The last thing we’ve got to put in is the electric and gas,” he added about the 260-acre mixed-use development. Then, there will be paving, streetlights, sidewalks, landscaping and the entrance signs before the buildings.
People also can expect to find plenty of parking to accommodate the crowds.
“There should be a really high number of parking for this complex,” Dalton said.
Also, Steve said the high-end apartments are in and operating by the Ardmore company.
Another benefit of the development is the new interchange planned for the Watt Road area.
While earth moving started a little more than four years ago, Steve said, “I started assembling the property back in 2006.
“I started out with 100 acres” in 2016, he said. “When it got up to the 260 acres, we knew that we needed a theme for a development of this size. The theme ended up being sports entertainment, which is where a lot of the retail and commercial marketing is going these days.
“And Knox County prepared a study that showed Knoxville needed these types of sports venues,” he added.
Looking for something unique to develop, the Maddoxes wanted more for the project.
“A big driver for this entire development is an entertainment community, family style,” Dalton said. “This is not just another retail development like Turkey Creek or not to compete with Turkey Creek — they have great retail shops and things like that — this is meant to be more experiential, more entertainment driven.
“We’re prioritizing what we call sports entertainment groups,” he said. “We’re currently working with a water sports group, a pickleball group … a basketball, volleyball group … think Topgolf-style uses but with different sports.”
As part of the project, Steve said his company bought out the Cupid’s Outlet converted to Trump Superstore.
“Now, we’re taking over that property and totally remodel ing that building and making this one of our offices,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can to clean up this area and make it user friendly and family friendly.”
Additionally, Maddox said the development will be golf cart friendly so people can get around.
“We’re going to have eight- to 10-person golf carts going around and through the project [as shuttles], delivering people to the sports fields,” he said.
“This project will be fully sidewalked, fully walkable, but it is fairly steep in certain portions because its on tiers, built on a hill like this,” Dalton Maddox, said. “So, anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable walking, we’ll have the golf carts.”
