Approve the special use for a car wash in the C-G-2 (General Commercial) district, subject to 7 conditions, with the addition to condition#7 that any new retaining wall or monuments built in conjunction with the development shall match the stone of the existing retaining wall on Fort Dickerson Drive.

Disposition Summary

Approve the special use for a car wash in the C-G-2 (General Commercial) district, subject to 7 conditions, with the addition to condition#7 that any new retaining wall or monuments built in conjunction with the development shall match the stone of the existing retaining wall on Fort Dickerson Drive.

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Details of Action

Approve the special use for a car wash in the C-G-2 (General Commercial) district, subject to 7 conditions, with the addition to condition#7 that any new retaining wall or monuments built in conjunction with the development shall match the stone of the existing retaining wall on Fort Dickerson Drive.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the special use for a car wash in the C-G-2 (General Commercial) district, subject to 7 conditions.

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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.
4) Installing at least two additional native trees along Chapman Highway frontage to provide shade and visual relief, as recommended by the Chapman Highway Corridor Study.
5) Installing landscaping such as grass and shrubs at the center of the roundabout. Traversable materials may be considered to accommodate the required turning radius of emergency vehicles and service trucks.
6) During the permitting stage, submitting a revised landscape plan for review and approval by Planning staff.
7) Entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Knoxville Engineering Department for maintaining off-site street trees and shrubs along Fort Dickerson Way. The cost of these improvements is the responsibility of the property owner.

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This request is for a car wash facility on the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Chapman Highway and Fort Dickerson Road. The proposed car wash offers one-time services as well as monthly membership subscription plans. The expected operation hours are 8:00 am - 8:00 pm during the summer and 8:00 am - 7:00 pm during winter and fall. The facility includes a single semi-automatic wash tunnel within a 4,946-sq ft structure that is placed lengthwise along Chapman Highway.

MASTER PLAN: The property includes four parcels under common ownership. Instead of combining all four parcels, the applicant is pursuing a 'master plan' to merge the southern three parcels (lot 'B' in Exhibit B) and keep the northern parcel separate (lot 'A' in Exhibit B). The master plan has been approved by the City of Knoxville Engineering Department and would allow the development to place the car wash building away from the intersection. The proposed structure falls within lot 'B', meeting the corner side build-to-zone requirement of 10 ft in the C-G-2 district. A coffee/sandwich shop is contemplated for lot 'A' which would require alteration of the proposed driveway layout for the car wash; however, the feasibility of any potential future use is not subject to this special use application.


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 MU-SD SC-4 (Mixed Use Special District, Chapman Highway District - Downtown to Martin Mill Pike) land use classification of the South City Sector Plan and the One Year Plan recommends higher intensity mixed use development that takes advantage of the proximity to downtown. For this Special Use application to be approved in the MU-SD SC-4 classification, the Planning Commission must find that the proposed use is "consistent with, and not in conflict with" the adopted plans and policies.
B. These parcels previously accommodated two car dealerships; one of these commercial buildings was demolished in 2010 and the existing structure on the southern parcel was operational up to 2020. Redeveloping these parcels is consistent with the General Plan's Development Policy 8.10 which encourages redevelopment of obsolete commercial strip space by providing incentives for "infill" rather than greenfield development.
C. The Planning Commission should also consider the General Plan's Development Policy 9.3, which stipulates that the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, should not impact existing neighborhoods and communities.
D. The Chapman Highway Corridor Study (2006) recommends that new landscaping should be provided with each development, including street trees and landscaped front street yards to provide shade and visual relief (p.40). The development provides the required foundation landscaping along Chapman Highway and proposes additional shrubs on the northeast corner of the property. Staff recommends two additional trees along Chapman Highway in condition 4 which is consistent with the study's recommendations.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The C-G-2 district is intended to provide for a heterogeneous mix of retail, personal service, office, and residential uses within and along Knoxville's commercial nodes and corridors. It also intends to promote mixed-use development in a pedestrian-oriented environment that recalls the City's traditional business districts, and offers flexibility in the creation of integrated commercial, office and residential spaces.
B. While the proposed use is auto-centric, the development includes sidewalk access from Chapman Highway, as required by the commercial site design standards (Article 5.4). The site plan and building elevations as provided conform to other requirements of Article 5.4 as well as the dimensional standards of Article 5.3.

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. A carwash would be consistent with the character of this segment of the Chapman Highway corridor which includes several auto-oriented businesses. There is a gas station, an auto repair shop, an auto parts shop, and several used car dealerships within 800 ft of the subject property.
B. The proposed one-story structure would be compatible in size and scale with the adjacent commercial uses.

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 proposed use should have little impact on the adjacent properties as this area already contains a myriad of commercial uses.
B. The proposed landscaping along Fort Dickerson Road intends to provide a visual buffer along the entrance to Fort Dickerson Park. Any impacts on the two existing trees along the street will be mitigated per Chapter 14 (Forestry) of the City of Knoxville Code of Ordinances (Exhibit C).

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The development will not draw traffic through residential areas as Fort Dickerson Road currently has no residential uses. Access to Chapman Highway, a major arterial street, is approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

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 immediately surrounding the subject property that would pose a potential hazard or undesirable environment for the proposed use.