Knoxville cuts ribbon on new public-private housing development

Local, state, and federal officials were present to break ground on Riella at Oakwood, a project renovating the 1929 St. Mary’s Hospital building in Knoxville into apartments for seniors and multi-family use as well as new townhomes for single family occupation. The building ceased to be used as a hospital in 2018. The project will allow room for more than 170 new residents in the Oakwood Lincoln Park neighborhood. The project will also create a new public park with a playground and dog park. The city of Knoxville invested $2 million from its Affordable Rental Development Fund in the program. It contributes to other recent developments in the area, including the new Parts of the site now house the Knoxville Police Department/City Public Safety Complex, the McNabb Center’s EmPATH facility, and Lincoln Memorial University's College of Dental Medicine and nursing programs