The Depot | Rural. Modern. Full of life.
How: Creating a sustainable, affordable, pedestrian first place for people to live & play.
What: Mixed Use of commercial space and apartments with additional public space.
Where: Downtown of Greeneville, Tennessee, USA
When: In planning, target completion by end of 2023.
The Depot
Type: Independent Development Project
Project Lead: Ferris Ellis, Urban Dynamics
Collaborators: Arnold Design Studio
Status: Feasibility Phase Complete. Currently Planning, Securing Resources, and Fund Raising.
A vision for quality of life in rural Tennessee.
Many rural American towns are having their housing situations worsen and their downtowns struggle as the 21st century progresses. The Depot is a project specifically designed to address these problems, and more, for the town of Greeneville, Tennessee. By providing quality, affordable housing and small business space only a block from the center of downtown, The Depot brings the source of a vibrant downtown back: people. The project will bring over a dozen people living downtown and over a half dozen small shops for local businesses, along with public space for anyone to use.
Walk to work, coffee, or lunch.
Have a place to gather & socialize.
Wander and explore public life.
Empower truly local business.
Breathe knowing it’s sustainable.
Making what is old into what is new.
The Depot is equal parts past and future. It takes the now dilapidated Yates Building in Greeneville, built in 1954, and transforms it into something timeless and visionary.
Functions
The Depot is designed to incorporate a number of different functions into a single, coherent location.
Public Court Yard
Downtown Greeneville, Tennessee lacks public space designed to be occupied for a mixture of leisure, business, and food. A core part of The Depot is to provide some of this in a way that is welcoming and accessible to all. Because this space faces a small forest, incorporation of greenery and natural elements is key. See references for design references below.
Local Business Market
Market’s have been key for local small business for thousands of years. They provide a destination to consumers and businesses with efficient use of space. They also provide economic accessibility to small businesses which could not otherwise afford to rent a commercial space. See references for design references below.
Apartment Living
Affordable, quality living is key to any thriving community and economy. Apartments provided by The Depot aim to provide a maximum quality of life experience at a very accessible cost. All apartment will provide access to lots of natural light, modern appliances, and sustainable low upkeep materials. See references for design references below.
Sustainable for all.
Sustainability has become a political word, which is ridiculous. Let’s change that. The Depot is designed to achieve sustainability via three goals:
Quarter millennium lifespan. Most buildings designed today are only intended to last ~50 years. We prefer a challenge, so The Depot aims to last 5 times as long: 250 years. So you could say it is saving the local economic from having to pay for another four buildings. Just sayin’.
Onsite Power Generation. When you pay $0.10/kWh for electricity, odds are roughly half of that cost is from the miles of power lines needed to get it to you. By doing onsite power generation, The Depot aims to provide onsite electricity generation to residents and businesses there which saves them money. It just makes sense and saves cents.
Minimal Waste. Buildings and landfills are both expensive, let’s minimize waste and save money for everyone. By incorporating some of the Zero Waste Design Guidelines, The Depot aims to reduce the cost of buildings and maintenance. That cuts out impact to residents monthly rent and landfill impact.
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Are you interest in being a resident at The Depot or having your business here? If so, please fill out the following 12 question form!
Get involved
Are you interest in being a resident at The Depot or having your business here? Want to learn more about investing or economic development? Whatever your interest is, we’d love to hear from you!