To be heard December 11, 2025Agenda Item No. 22

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the RA (Low Density Residential) zone because it is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and surrounding area.

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PURSUANT TO THE KNOX COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE, ARTICLE 16.30.01, 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 DISTRICTS AFFECTED, OR IN THE COUNTY GENERALLY:
1. There have been several rezonings from A to PR with densities ranging from 4-5.1 du/ac on large tracts along Millertown Pike to the west, and a couple of RA rezonings within a mile of the property to the east since 2016.
2. The large distribution center that was recently constructed at the I-640 interchange with Millertown Pike and Washington Pike is approximately 3 miles away and is now a major employment center.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The RA zone provides for residential areas with low population densities. The RA zone allows single-family houses with sewer on 10,000 sq ft lots and duplexes on 12,000 sq ft lots with Use on Review approval by the Planning Commission.
2. Rezonings should be based on the entire range of uses allowed within a zone to ensure that any development brought forth at a future time would be compatible with the surrounding land uses.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE COUNTY, NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AMENDMENT.
1. While the properties in the immediate area are zoned A, many of them are non-conforming to the minimum 1-acre lot size in the A zone because they were created before the current zoning regulations were adopted. There are also several lots in the area that are 0.25 acres. The RB zone is approximately 1.5 miles away to the west is built out with lot sizes ranging from around 14,000 sq ft to just over an acre. While the RB zone allows much greater density, the actual build out of the RB-zoned area is more in line with the lots permitted in the requested RA zone.

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 property is within the SR (Suburban Residential) place type and is considered directly related, meaning the zoning district is appropriate to implement the place type.
2. This request brings the zoning into compliance with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan, as the current A zoning is not a zone that can be considered under the SR place type. The SR place type calls for primarily single family residential development, and secondary uses include attached dwellings that have the scale of a single family home. The RA zone allows single family homes and duplexes.
3. The proposed rezoning to RA aligns with Implementation Policy 2 of the Knox County Comprehensive Plan, to ensure that development is sensitive to existing community character. RA is consistent with the recent rezonings to PR up to 4 du/ac and the non-conforming A-zoned lots sizes to the west.
4. The rezoning is aligned with the property's location in the Urban Growth Area of the Growth Policy Plan and is consistent with the policies related to the Urban Growth Area.