Disposition Summary

Approve the I-G (General Industrial) district because it is consistent with the land use plans and surrounding development.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the I-G (General Industrial) district because it is consistent with the land use plans and surrounding development.

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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 subject property is in an area with established and active industrial uses, including the 3-acre campus directly across Ninth Avenue, which is owned by the applicant, Quality Machine and Welding Company Inc.
2. In 2025, the neighboring property across the alley to the west of the subject parcel was rezoned from RN-4 (General Residential) to I-MU (Industrial Mixed-Use), which is a zone that permits general industrial uses by right. Prior to the City's zoning code being updated in 2020, the neighboring property and the subject property were part of a much larger swath of I-3 (General Industrial) zoning along the Norfolk Southern Rail Line, which is nearby to the south.
3. The subject property has had single-family homes on it for many years, but for at least 15 years, it has also been utilized for outdoor storage of large metal beams and pipes that appear intended for more industrial and manufacturing purposes. In 2024, the backyard of the 1609 Ninth Avenue lot was converted into an employee or contractor vehicle parking lot. These lots have functioned in a more industrial manner for many years, and there is a plat in review now to merge the lots so that they meet the dimensional standards for the requested I-G (General Industrial) zone.
4. The legacy industrial uses surrounding the property, in addition to the industrial rezoning adjacent to the subject parcel, supports consideration of the I-G zone, which is a minor extension from the south and east.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The I-G district provides for a range of general industrial uses that may produce limited outside impacts, rendering them incompatible with retail, service, or residential uses. Such uses include limited manufacturing, fabricating, processing, wholesale distributing, and warehousing facilities that do not require frequent visits from customers or clients.
2. As described above, this property is part of a longstanding and operational industrial corridor. While there are homes on site currently, these would be required to be demolished or renovated for other purposes before any industrial activity could be permitted on the site, since single-family dwellings are not permitted in the I-G zone. With a plat under review now to merge the lots, this property will meet the dimensional requirements for the I-G zone.

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. One distinction between the I-MU district and the I-G district is that I-MU permits almost all types of dwellings to be developed whereas I-G doesn't permit any dwellings. If the neighboring I-MU parcel were developed with more residences, and an industrial use was permitted on the subject parcel after rezoning, there would be no requirement that the industrial development include a landscape buffer or other measures to mitigate environmental impact on the neighboring residences because those protections only apply to residentially-zoned property. There is no new residential development currently being pursued on the neighboring property and proximity to legacy industrial activity is an apparent aspect of this city block, so staff do not consider this potential impact as one that warrants denial of rezoning. It is also worth noting that the definition of a general industrial use in the zoning code requires that such activity be conducted wholly within an enclosed building, which limits external impacts.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE KNOXVILLE-KNOX COUNTY GENERAL PLAN AND ITS COMPONENT PARTS, INCLUDING ADOPTED SECTOR PLANS, CORRIDOR PLANS, AND RELATED DOCUMENTS.
1. The I-G zone is consistent with the LI (Light Industrial) land use classification for this property in the Central City Sector Plan and the One Year Plan.
2. This rezoning is aligned with the General Plan's Development Policy 1.3, to provide incentives for new industrial development and for redevelopment or rehabilitation of older industrial facilities. Expanding the industrial-zoned footprint is also consistent with Development Policy 1.11, to reserve an adequate supply of large sites for industrial growth.

ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SCHOOLS, PARKS, POLICE AND FIRE PROTECTION, ROADS, SANITARY SEWERS, AND WATER LINES, OR ARE REASONABLY CAPABLE OF BEING PROVIDED PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IF THE AMENDMENT WERE ADOPTED:
1. The subject property is in an urbanized area with ample utility and transportation capacity for the I-G zone. The property's proximity to an active rail line is supportive of industrial activity.