City Summit is complete, and along the way, the project took an exciting turn: what began as apartments for rent has become condos available for sale. Built by Merit Construction and designed by Design Innovation Architects for developer LawlerWood, City Summit represents a new chapter in downtown Knoxville living, and we're excited to share the story behind it.

Homes at City Summit are now available for sale, with contracts underway and buyers moving through the process. All homes are available, and our website includes full floorplans so you can explore your options. [Click here to view floorplans.]City Summit includes 89 homes: three studio condos, 52 one-bedroom units, and 34 two-bedroom homes, with floor space topping out at just over 1,100 square feet.

‍LawlerWood is a leading real estate development and property management firm in the Southeast. As the company approaches its 50th anniversary, it remains committed to the legacy of integrity and professionalism in project delivery and customer service that has been its trademark since its founding by Rodney Lawler and Pat Wood.Over its long history, LawlerWood's work has touched nearly every segment of the real estate market, including ownership, project management, property and asset management, planning, and brokerage. Today, the company focuses primarily on general commercial, health care, education and other governmental projects, hospitality, and multi-family residential developments, while remaining ready to execute any type of complex real estate assignment.LawlerWood began by developing, leasing, and managing projects for its own account, giving the company firsthand understanding of both the benefits a well-conceived real estate strategy can provide and the risks that come with any real estate project. That perspective carries into every project today. Clients and residents alike benefit from lessons learned across nearly 50 years of experience and two billion dollars in successful development and management projects.

‍The decision to move from apartments to condos came down to market conditions. We watched a wave of new rental properties enter the market at once, particularly around UT and just across the river in South Knoxville. At the same time, we saw strong momentum in the condo market. Properties like White Lily, Sterchi, Emporium, and Medical Arts converted from apartments to condos, and new construction like Lone Tree Pass sold quickly even as prices rose. Reading that momentum, we made the call to shift direction. As we like to say, the market dictated which way we went.That shift also changed our financial model in a way that benefits the city. With apartments, a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) was necessary to make the project work. These kinds of developments often can't get built in certain markets without a TIF or PILOT in place. But once market conditions changed and we moved to condos, we made the decision to return that tax assistance rather than keep it. That means every home at City Summit pays full city and county property taxes from day one, based on its sale price, representing a property valued at many millions of dollars in new tax revenue for Knoxville.

Every home at City Summit is designed with intention. We offer three distinct finish schemes, giving buyers variety across a range of sizes and layouts. Every bedroom includes a window, and one of our studio units even sits on a corner, drawing in natural light from two directions. With this many homes, we built in two elevators to keep things moving smoothly, and parking is available to lease in the lot across the street for owners who want it.Despite sitting near the Interstate and rail lines, City Summit homes are remarkably quiet. We used construction practices that go beyond standard, including separated double walls between units and additional insulation between floors, paired with modern glass and materials to create a genuinely peaceful living environment.Each home comes with a combination washer/dryer and a full appliance package. Countertops are quartz with tile backsplashes, and every bathroom includes a tiled, glass-door shower, with homes that have a second full bath also featuring a tub. Walk-in closets, ceiling fans, slow-close cabinetry, and nine-foot ceilings are standard throughout, with 42-inch cabinets in every kitchen. Wherever possible, we've sourced materials locally. Our windows and door units, for example, come from Dealer's Warehouse right here in Knoxville.

City Summit sits at one of the highest points in downtown Knoxville, and the views reflect it. From our balconies and living spaces, residents can take in iconic sights like the Sunsphere, Sharp's Ridge, and House Mountain, along with sweeping views across downtown. We're proud to be part of one of the fastest-growing, most dense pockets of downtown, joining neighbors like Summit Towers, Ryan's Row, and City House, with more development planned on the hillside just east of us.Our goal from the start was to offer homes near the median price point for the greater Knoxville market. Because these homes are downtown, that naturally means a smaller footprint, but it also gives buyers a real choice: a larger home outside the city center, or a smaller one right in the heart of it, at a comparable price. It's a tradeoff every downtown Knoxville resident understands well.

If you'd like to learn more about City Summit or connect with our team about purchasing a home, please reach out. We're proud to welcome new neighbors to downtown Knoxville.