Oak Ridge development update | A look inside the new housing rising to meet workforce demand
With more than 3,600 new employees expected to arrive in Oak Ridge over the next five to eight years, the city is moving urgently to ensure its housing supply can keep pace.
That message was front and center at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce‘s 2026 Housing Tour, held June 26, as business leaders and community members toured active and planned residential and mixed-use developments across the city.
Oak Ridge’s population currently sits at approximately 35,000 — a number city leadership says it intends to grow, but carefully.
Oak Ridge City Manager Randy Hemann explained that Oak Ridge’s growth story is, in many ways, just getting started. After the city’s explosive rise during the Manhattan Project era, the population largely plateaued, hovering around 20,000 as recently as the 2010s.
The climb to today’s numbers has happened in the past several years, and Hemann is determined not to let the momentum outpace planning.
There are about 36,000 jobs in Oak Ridge. But the resident labor force is just under 14,000. That means only a little more than 35% of residents work in Oak Ridge.
“We are very much into moderate and sustained growth here,” Hemann told tour participants. “The best way to avoid traffic and issues is to live close to where you work.”
That philosophy is now backed by policy. The city recently drafted and approved its first comprehensive land use plan, Oak Ridge 2045, since 1988. Oak Ridge 2045 will act as a guide designed to direct where and how Oak Ridge expands for the coming years. A new zoning ordinance is expected to follow, with an RFP in the works.
Where will they work?
Much of the employment driving housing demand is concentrated in Oak Ridge’s West end, but historically this area has been somewhat of a “desert” outside of work.
- The K-25/ETTP/Heritage Center Industrial Park corridor is set to host Kairos Power and Oklo Inc., with the Oak Ridge Discovery Foundation (formerly the American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation) helping animate the site as a destination for both workforce and visitors through its reopening of Portal 4. Expect coffee and food pop-ups, bike trails and more.
- The Horizon Center Industrial Park is gearing up for R&D operations for BWXT and TRISO-X.
- Within the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC), UT will be expanding their Oak Ridge footprint with approximately 60,000 square feet of new facilities planned in collaboration with CNS and Y-12 National Security Complex. There should also be room for future expansion as needed.
- Outside of the West end, Hemann highlighted plans for the Wilson Street corridor, where a mixed-use development — including housing for Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and UT interns, a food truck park and public gathering space across 6.5 acres.
Where will they live?
We got to tour a mix of rental and owned communities being developed to house this growth.
- The Preserve: A 1,400-acre master-planned community offering attached homes, custom builds, and single-family lots priced from approximately $350,000 to $875,000. The neighborhood includes a marina, golf course, wellness center, tennis courts, pool, preserved green space and retail space with a target of 3,000 total homes.
- Groves Park: Named after Manhattan Project General Leslie Groves with streets honoring figures like J. Robert Oppenheimer, the neighborhood is planning for 325 single-family homes and a 240-unit multifamily complex.
- Poplar Creek Townhomes: A 42-townhome rental community near completion, featuring a dog park, gazebo, playground and a convenient school bus stop at its entrance. Construction is set to be completed on July 15.
- Pointe Grand: This complex is making its entry into the Tennessee market with 360 rental units with unique amenities including pickleball courts.
- Near BIR Luxury Landing and Centennial Bluffs: Approximately 336 multifamily luxury units are planned, with construction slated for next year.
- The Briarcliff Neighborhood: Already a growing hub of restaurants, shops, medical services and businesses — developers are planning new multifamily housing in the interior of the district, along with an extended-stay hotel offering modern, storage-rich studio residences for the the influx of contractors, researchers and new hires.
- Main Street Lofts: Plans to add another 360 units with townhome construction expected within three to 15 months.
- Near the Scarboro Community Center: Expecting 104 new units across four buildings through a partnership with the city.
Where will they play?
With a city carrying the same land mass as a community six times its population, Hemann made clear that Oak Ridge isn’t lacking in recreation. For comparison, Knoxville spans 104 square miles while Oak Ridge covers 92 — translating to 4.5 acres of conserved green space per person.
One can take advantage of this green space at Haw Ridge’s Dirtlab Mountain Bike Skills Park or by watching rowing competitions go by.
New lifestyle businesses continue to file in like The Greens, a putt-putt and drinks venue. Behind The Greens, several hundred acres of undeveloped land purchased by developers off Tuskegee could eventually support additional housing or lifestyle development.
Other emerging hubs include the Tulane Crossing commercial area featuring First Watch with more to come. The Oak Ridge Housing Authority is also building new offices with community-centered spaces.
“We want to continue to have the quality of life that makes people want to be here,” Hemann said. “And now we’ve finally got a lot of opportunity for folks to live close to where they work.”
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