Green Development Contact

2008 Green Development Conference 
In February 2008, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection hosted a Green Development conference with grant support from the U.S. EPA Office of Water. Tennessee and Kentucky environmental agencies hosted nearly 300 local government representatives that manage and implement land use planning, building codes, plumbing codes, and storm water programs, as well as architects, designers, environmentalists and others interested in green development.  

Green Development Grant Recipients in Tennessee
In response to the local interest generated by the conference, a new Green Development Grant opportunity was created to fund projects implementing green infrastructure and low impact development practices.

For the first Green Development Grant solicitation, seventeen local governments responded with funding requests totaling over $450,000. The quantity and quality of proposed projects was very encouraging. Four projects worth at total of $100,000 were selected for funding from this particular solicitation: City of Athens, City of Lakeland, City of Knoxville and City of Nashville. Each of these grant awards include a local match and a project objective that will deliver multiple Green Development benefits for their communities:

City of Athens (McMinn County)
The city of Athens will receive $30,000 to transform a conventional parking area shared with the YMCA, using pervious concrete parking stalls, pervious geoblock drive land and a rain garden. 

City of Knoxville (Knox County)
The city of Knoxville will receive $10,000 to develop a public dog park in the downtown area featuring permeable surfacing materials on the walking path, an infiltration trench and enhancement of the riparian zone. 

City of Lakeland (Shelby County)
The city of Lakeland will receive $30,000 for the expansion of the parking lot that serves city hall, a city park and soccer fields utilizing a pervious concrete application that reduces runoff by allowing infiltration into the surface.

Metro Nashville (Davidson County)
Metro Nashville will receive $30,000 for the development of the McCabe Park and Community Center, which will include a green roof, permeable pavement and rain gardens.

For more information on the Green Development Grant process contact Elaine Boyd at elaine.boyd@tn.gov or phone at (615) 532-0288.