Disposition Summary

Deny the PR (Planned Residential) zone with up to 2 du/ac because is it inconsistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and the Growth Policy Plan.

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the PR (Planned Residential) zone with up to 2 du/ac because is it inconsistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and the Growth Policy Plan.

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PURSUANT TO THE KNOX COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE, ARTICLE 6.30.01, THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET FOR ALL REZONINGS (must meet all of these):

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE NECESSARY BECAUSE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED OR CHANGING CONDITIONS IN THE AREA AND ZONES AFFECTED, OR IN THE COUNTY GENERALLY.
1. Development within a .3-mile radius has been sporadic and limited to single-family dwellings since the early 1990s. The most recent development occurred in 2012, with a single-family subdivision constructed .5-miles southwest of the subject property.
2. A property has not been rezoned within a half-mile of the subject property since 2000.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE.
1. The PR (Planned Residential) zone is intended to provide optional land development methods that encourage more imaginative solutions to environmental design problems. There is a possible sinkhole at the front of the property, near the 1200 contour line (Exhibit A, Topographical Map), and the rear of the property is relatively steep, with slopes ranging between 25% and 40% (Exhibit B).
2. The PR zone also calls for compatibility with adjacent zones. Though the PR zone with a density of 2 du/ac is generally compatible with the abutting A (Agricultural) zone, approval of this request would create an isolated pocket of the PR zone as all properties within approximately a half-mile radius of the subject site are zoned A.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE COUNTY, NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AN AMENDMENT.
1. The proposed 2 du/ac density could yield up to two lots. Though the requested density is consistent with the surrounding area, which mainly consists of single-family dwellings on large lots, Planning is concerned about the precedent a rezoning in this area will set. Additional rezonings would lead to more dwellings in an area with inadequate infrastructure.
2. While Greenwell Road is technically a major collector, it is an unstriped road with a pavement width as narrow as 13.5 ft in some locations. This sub-par road is not suitable for additional lots or dwellings.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF KNOX COUNTY, INCLUDING ANY OF ITS ELEMENTS, MAJOR ROAD PLAN, LAND USE PLAN, COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN, AND OTHERS:
1. The subject property's place type is RL (Rural Living), which allows consideration of the PR zone with a density of up to 2 du/ac.
2. The PR zone is partially related to the RL place type. For partially related zones, additional approval criteria are required per Appendix H of the Comprehensive Plan. The rezoning meets the first one of these, as the allowed land uses in the PR zone aligns with the preferred housing mix of the RL pace type.
3. The subject property is within the Rural area of the Growth Policy Plan. The rezoning does not comply with Policy 4.3 of the Growth Policy Plan, which requires future residential development in a rural area to be on a collector road with a minimum pavement width of 18 ft. As mentioned previously, Greenwell Road is unstriped and is as narrow as 13.5 ft in some locations, which does not meet this requirement.
4. The rezoning is inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan's Implementation Policy 9.3, to focus growth in areas already served by adequate infrastructure and 9.5, to avoid approving isolated developments where infrastructure is inadequate or yet to be planned. Knox County does not have a road improvement project planned for Greenwell Road in the foreseeable future.