Approve the PR (Planned Residential) zone with up to 4.3 du/ac because it is consistent with the previous approval, as the area can support it and the density will not negatively impact the area.

Disposition Summary

Approve the PR (Planned Residential) zone with up to 4.3 du/ac because it is consistent with the previous approval, as the area can support it and the density will not negatively impact the area.

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Details of Action

Approve the PR (Planned Residential) zone with up to 4.3 du/ac because it is consistent with the previous approval, as the area can support it and the density will not negatively impact the area.

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the PR (Planned Residential) zone with up to 4.3 du/ac because there has been no new change in conditions to support increasing density at this site.

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PURSUANT TO THE KNOX COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE, ARTICLE 6.30.01, 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 ZONES AFFECTED, OR IN THE COUNTY GENERALLY.
1. In September 2024, a rezoning request to go from PR (Planned Residential) up to 4 du/ac with conditions to PR up to 4.3 du/ac was submitted (9-M-24-RZ). Staff recommended denial of this request because there had been no change in conditions since the previous rezoning request that had occurred in 2023 (10-K-23-RZ). The request was approved by Planning Commission but was withdrawn prior to the County Commission meeting.
2. The 2023 rezoning request was to go from RA (Low Density Residential) to PR up to 5 du/ac. Staff did not support the requested density of 5 du/ac due to concerns with the proximity to the industrially zoned properties to the south and west, and recommended a density of 4 du/ac with one condition to provide a landscape screen to the adjacent industrial property, which was approved by the County Commission in December 2023.
3. The I (Industrial) zoning to the south and west is an active industrial node with industrial, manufacturing, warehousing, and wholesale uses. Approximately 450 ft south of the subject property is a plastics production facility, and directly abutting to the west is a truss plant.
4. There have not been any rezoning, use on review, or development plan requests approved within 0.75 miles of the subject property since the previous 2024 rezoning request. Building permit records also indicate that new development has been limited since 2024, consisting mainly of the sporadic construction of single-family homes, and the first phase of construction of the Knox County Regional Forensic Center is to the west.
5. Conditions in the area have remained stable, and there have been no new infrastructure improvements or services to the area, nor other changes that would support increasing the density beyond the previous recommendations. Planning does not recommend increasing density at this location.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE.
1. The PR zone is intended to provide optional methods of land development that encourage more imaginative solutions to environmental design problems and establish residential areas that are characterized by a unified building and site development program. The PR zone would be appropriate to consider here, as it would enable development to be clustered away from the abutting I zoned properties and the stream located near the front of the lot.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE COUNTY NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AN AMENDMENT.
1. The property has an existing single-family home on the front of the lot. The PR zone with up to 4 du/ac would allow up to 18 additional dwelling units, and a density of 4.3 du/ac would allow an additional 20 units.
2. An additional two units would not adversely affect traffic or the surrounding environment, but it is not recommended to increase residential intensity adjacent to active industrially zoned properties. 
3. The PR zone ensures that site plans undergo a public review process and obtain Planning Commission approval of any proposed developments. The plan will be reviewed to determine whether the proposed development is compatible with the surrounding community.
4. Access to the subject property is off of Byington Beaver Ridge Road, which is managed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). Access will require TDOT approval.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF KNOX COUNTY, INCLUDING ANY OF ITS ELEMENTS, MAJOR ROAD PLAN, LAND USE PLAN, COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN, AND OTHERS.
1. The subject property is designated as SR (Suburban Residential) on the Future Land Use Map, which allows consideration of the PR zone with up to 12 du/ac as a partially related zone. Partially related means that the zone may be appropriate in some areas while not in others and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Due to the proximity of the industrial zoning and node of intensive uses to the south, as well as the lack of changing conditions since our previous recommendation, Planning does not support the increase in density.
2. Partially related zones must also meet additional criteria. The proposed rezoning meets the second criterion, as the PR zone allows uses compatible with that of the adjacent zones to the north and east.
3. The proposed rezoning is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan Implementation Policy 5, to create neighborhoods with a variety of housing types and amenities in close proximity. Karns Elementary, Middle, and High Schools, as well as the Karns Valley Greenway, are within one mile of the subject property.
4. The subject property is within the Planned Growth Area of the Growth Policy Plan, which aims to encourage a reasonably compact pattern of development and offer a wide range of housing choices. The proposed rezoning aligns with the intent of the Planned Growth Area.