Heritage Center and Reservation Land for Economic Development
At a glance
What: the IDB's work to bring land at the Heritage Center industrial park (the former East Tennessee Technology Park) and other Oak Ridge Reservation land into economic-development use.
Where it stands: the 2026-10-05 agenda took up a resolution confirming acceptance of Tract ED-24 (49.56 acres) by quitclaim deed from DOE; the 2026-11-02 agenda took up authorizing appraisal services for the parcel known as Airport Tract B. Outcomes were not read.
Next: IDB meets 2026-12-07.
Details
Prospect reports in the minutes say that companies, including nuclear-industry firms, are interested in Heritage Center, but a lack of available real estate has sent some to other communities (the minutes of the 2026-09-08 meeting mention sites in Knox, Morgan and Anderson counties). The owner of the Powerhouse site and companies interested in buying it were also mentioned.
Minutes of the 2026-08-03 meeting (approved on 2026-09-08) record the economic development corporation working with five nuclear-sector companies, a DOE request to transfer reservation land for economic development and discussion of a data center, and Tennessee being named a finalist for DOE's Nuclear Life Cycle Innovation Campus.
At the 2026-10-05 meeting a representative of an environmental advocacy group spoke during the minutes item about the term "land buffer" in the prospect report, saying the reservation has more species per area than the Great Smoky Mountains, including rare species, and that land set aside for mitigation was promised back to the public.
Portions of the 2026-09-08 and 2026-10-05 minutes were truncated in the material read.