Disposition Summary

Approve the RN-3 (General Residential Neighborhood) district because it is consistent with the sector plan and surrounding development. The HP (Hillside Protection Overlay) would be retained.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the RN-3 (General Residential Neighborhood) district because it is consistent with the sector plan and surrounding development. The HP (Hillside Protection Overlay) would be retained.

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PURSUANT TO THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE ZONING ORDINANCE, SECTION 16.1.E, ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET FOR ALL REZONINGS:

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE NECESSARY BECAUSE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED OR CHANGING CONDITIONS IN THE AREA AND DISTRICTS AFFECTED, OR IN THE CITY/COUNTY GENERALLY:
1. The City is implementing a capital improvement project nearby called the East Knox Greenway Trail. It will connect Harriet Tubman Park to the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum, and then move south along Williams Creek. Williams Creek is approximately 600 ft east of the subject property.
2. The subject property is located .25 mile southeast of the KCDC Five Points community, which was redeveloped in four phases over ten years and completed in 2020. Residential intensity was increased in Five Points with a wide range of housing forms including single-family dwellings, duplexes, townhouses and apartment buildings.
3. Adjacent to this revamped affordable housing community is a 17,000 sq ft property on Sanders Lane (parcel 095CA015), which was rezoned from RN-2 to RN-4 in September (8-D-23-RZ). It is now in the permitting stages for a townhouse development.
4. Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) will be altering bus routes in this area in 2024 as a result of the KAT Reimagined transit network plan. However, bus stops will remain within safe walking distance of the subject property.
5. These developments and amenities support more residential intensity at this location. The recommended rezoning from the RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) to the RN-3 (General Residential Neighborhood) district would permit single-family dwellings and duplexes, and would enable consideration of up to 8 townhouses through special use review by the Planning Commission, if the lots were merged.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The recommended RN-3 district is intended for residential neighborhoods characterized by one and two-family homes. Townhouses may be allowed to facilitate a more urban development form.
2. The requested RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) district is intended for a mix of residential forms including townhouses and low-rise apartment buildings. This district is designed for neighborhoods that already have this mix of residential forms, or have been identified as areas where such development is suitable for the future.
3. Although there is a range of residential types in the Five Points campus, it is an outlier in a neighborhood predominantly comprised of single-family and duplex dwellings. The requested RN-4 district would permit up to 8 townhouses or multi-family units by right and up to 13 apartments through special use review, based on the minimum lot area standards.
4. The recommended RN-3 district is more consistent with the character of the neighborhood, while still permitting consideration of the more residential development through special use review to evaluate its impact on the neighborhood.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE CITY, NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AMENDMENT.
1. The recommended RN-3 district is not anticipated to have an adverse impact on the surrounding neighborhood. Although the property is surrounded by RN-2 zoning, there are several neighboring lots that do not conform with the RN-2 district because there are multiple duplexes on a single lot or a duplex on a lot that is smaller than what is permitted. RN-3 zoning is consistent with existing development in the immediate area.
2. There are properties northeast of the subject property that were purchased by the City to maintain a conservation easement supporting water quality in the Williams Creek watershed. No adverse impacts are anticipated to occur from RN-3 zoning in relation to this uphill conservation area.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE GENERAL PLAN OF KNOXVILLE AND KNOX COUNTY, INCLUDING ANY OF ITS ELEMENTS, MAJOR ROAD PLAN, LAND USE PLAN, COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN, AND OTHERS:
1. The East City Sector Plan land use classification for the property is TDR (Traditional Residential Neighborhood), which permits consideration of the recommended RN-3 and requested RN-4 zoning districts.
2. The RN-3 zoning district at this location is consistent with the General Plan's development policy 8.1 to develop infill housing on vacant lots in a way that is compatible with neighboring residences in scale, design and site layout. The approval of RN-3 zoning over the requested RN-4 zoning is also supported by policy 9.3 to ensure that the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, does not impact existing neighborhoods and communities.
3. A rezoning to the RN-3 or RN-4 district does not conflict with any other adopted plans for the area.