Disposition Summary

Withdraw the plan amendment application per the applicant's request.

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Staff Recommendation

Withdraw the plan amendment application per the applicant's request.

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This is a request to rezone approximately 12.6 acres of a 36-acre lot from RB (General Residential) to the PR zone. It is accompanied by a request to amend the future land use map of the same portion of the parcel from the RC (Rural Conservation) place type to SR (Suburban Residential).

PURSUANT TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, CHAPTER 3 IMPLEMENTATION, A PLAN AMENDMENT MAY BE APPROPRIATE IF THERE IS AN OBVIOUS OR SIGNIFICANT ERROR OR OMISSION IN THE PLAN, OR IF TWO OR MORE OF THE OTHER CRITERIA APPLY.

OBVIOUS OR SIGNIFICANT ERROR OR OMMISSION IN THE PLAN:
1. The existing RC (Rural Conservation) place type on the subject property and surrounding area is aligned with the intent of this land use designation. RC areas are intended to conserve forests, ridges, wetlands and other significant natural areas by clustering development and minimizing land disturbance. The RC place type is not exclusive to properties in the Rural Area of the Growth Policy Plan. They can be applied to Planned Growth Areas, as is the case with the subject property, but it indicates that a more compact, low impact residential design is still expected.
2. The subject property is entirely forested with approximately 4 acres within the Hillside Protection area. Surrounding land uses are predominantly comprised of open, natural areas, rural residential and single-family residential development. These physical attributes of the subject parcel and surrounding land uses indicate that the RC place type is not the result of an error or omission in the Knox County Comprehensive Plan.

IF THERE ARE NO ERRORS OR OMMISSIONS, TWO OF THE FOLLOWING CRITIERIA MUST BE MET:

CHANGES OF CONDITIONS (SUCH AS SURROUNDING LAND USES, ZONING, UNCONTROLLED NATURAL FORCES/DISASTERS, ETC.):
1. This is a stable rural residential area that has not seen any significant changes of conditions. Most of the development that has occurred in recent years is along E Governor John Sevier Highway to the east where industrial and heavy commercial businesses have expanded along the corridor. Industrial and manufacturing uses produce heavy trucking traffic and noxious environmental impacts, which is not supportive of the requested SR (Suburban Residential) place type.

INTRODUCTION OF SIGNIFICANT NEW UTILITIES OR LOCAL/STATE/FEDERAL ROAD PROJECTS THAT WERE NOT ANTICIPATED IN THE PLAN AND MAKE DEVELOPMENT MORE FEASIBLE:
1. Despite the presence of a Knoxville Utility Board (KUB) sewer line in the vicinity, sanitary sewer service is not readily accessible to this site. A supervisor with the KUB New Services Department communicated with staff that the sewer infrastructure here is a "high-pressure sanitary sewer force main," which is not designed to accommodate private connections to service a residential subdivision here. The nearest connection for that purpose would be from E Governor John Sevier Highway.
2. There have been no recent capital improvements to the minor arterial streets that access the subject property, and none are currently slated to occur. There are safety concerns with more residential intensity along these sections of Thorn Grove Pike and Strawberry Plains Pike, which vary in width from 18 to 23 ft and lack shoulders, turn lanes, and possibly adequate sight distance.

NEW DATA REGARDING TRENDS OR PROJECTIONS, POPULATION, HOUSING CONDITIONS, OR TRAFFIC GROWTH THAT WARRANT RECONSIDERATION OF THE ORIGINAL PLAN:
1. There have not been new trends or projections in development and population growth since the Comprehensive Plan was adopted earlier this year that would warrant reconsideration of the RC place type.

THE PROPOSED CHANGES SUPPORT THE POLICIES AND ACTIONS, GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND CRITERIA OF THE PLAN:
1. Increasing the future land use intensity from RC to SR at this location would contradict several goals within the Comprehensive Plan. This includes Implementation Policy 9 to coordinate infrastructure improvements with development, and Policy 7 to encourage development practices that conserve and connect natural features and habitat.