Disposition Summary

Approve the request for a vocational education facility for welding in approximately 3,000 sqft of floor area in the I-MU (Industrial Mixed Use) district, subject to 3 conditions.

---

Staff Recommendation

Approve the request for a vocational education facility for welding in approximately 3,000 sqft of floor area in the I-MU (Industrial Mixed Use) district, subject to 3 conditions.

---

1) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
2) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Engineering Department.
3) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Plans Review and Inspections Department.

With the conditions noted, this plan meets the requirements for approval in the I-MU District and the criteria for approval of a special use.

---

This proposal is for a vocational educational facility for welding, which includes offices, a gallery, classroom space, a fabrication room, and welding booths. See the attached Plan of Operations for additional information.

The facility will be on the first floor of an existing two-story structure. The second floor is currently vacant. The applicant does not intend to modify the site design.

STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING A SPECIAL USE (ARTICLE 16.2.F.2.)

1) THE USE IS CONSISTENT WITH ADOPTED PLANS AND POLICIES, INCLUDING THE GENERAL PLAN AND THE ONE-YEAR PLAN.
A. The One Year Plan and Central City Sector Plan designation for this site are MU-SD, MU-CC3 (Mixed Use Special District, Magnolia Avenue Corridor Plan), which recommends a mix of office, wholesale and retail commercial, warehousing and light manufacturing, and residential development.
B. The proposed vocational education facility for welding is consistent with the recommended uses in the MU-SD, MU-CC3 land use classification.
C. The fabrication room, which produces the most noise, is located on the east side of the structure, away from the multi-family structure to the west. Extraction units capture fumes from welding, and the filtered air is recirculated back into the room. This is consistent with General Plan development policy 11.3, which discourages environmental nuisances in the vicinity of residential development, including noise and offensive odors.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The I-MU (Industrial Mixed Use) Zoning District is intended to provide for a mix of light industrial uses and a variety of compatible commercial uses such as entertainment, amusement and retail establishments. This mix is designed to promote the reuse of older, character giving structures that may no longer be suitable for their original industrial purposes, but that can accommodate a variety of alternative types of uses. Residential uses are also permitted in the I-MU District, both above the ground floor in mixed-use development, and in multi-family dwellings.
B. The structure will not be expanded, so the Industrial District Design Standards in Article 6.4, Table 6-2 do not apply.
C. The existing parking on the site can accommodate the proposed use if the building has multiple tenants. However, if the building is renovated only to allow the proposed use, a variance to reduce the minimum parking may be required.

3) THE USE IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE IT IS PROPOSED, AND WITH THE SIZE AND LOCATION OF BUILDINGS IN THE VICINITY.
A. The small-scale vocational school is located in an area with a mix of uses, including residential, a church, commercial, warehousing, and office.
B. This proposal does not modify or expand the existing structure.

4) THE USE WILL NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INJURE THE VALUE OF ADJACENT PROPERTY OR BY NOISE, LIGHTS, FUMES, ODORS, VIBRATION, TRAFFIC, CONGESTION, OR OTHER IMPACTS DETRACT FROM THE IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT.
A. The layout of the facility places the fabrication room on the opposite side of the structure from the nearby residential use, and all fumes and odors are filtered and recirculated inside the building, not outside.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The site is located in an area developed for commercial and industrial uses. The use will not draw traffic through residential streets.

6) THE NATURE OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE SURROUNDING AREA IS NOT SUCH AS TO POSE A POTENTIAL HAZARD TO THE PROPOSED USE OR TO CREATE AN UNDESIRABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PROPOSED USE.
A. There are no known uses in the area that could be a potential hazard or create an undesirable environment for the proposed uses within the development.