Withdrawn

Disposition Summary

Withdrawn

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Details of Action

Withdrawn

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the CA (General Business) zone because it would be an encroachment of a commercial zone into a residential area.

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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. Since the late 1990s, zoning along Beaver Ridge Road has gradually transitioned from A (Agricultural) zoning to RA (Low Density Residential) and PR (Planned Residential) from up to 4 to 5 du/ac. Commercial and office zoning, such as CA (General Business), PC (Planned Commercial), and OB (Office, Medical, and Related Services), and higher-density PR zoning have been concentrated along Oak Ridge Highway to the south.
2. This area of Karns has experienced gradual trends in residential and commercial development. Commercial and office uses such as shopping centers, indoor storage facilities, and other service-oriented establishments have been concentrated along Oak Ridge Highway, a major arterial road. Development along Beaver Ridge Road, a local street, has mainly consisted of single-family subdivisions and civic uses such as the Karns Public Library, Karns Elementary School, and an urgent care facility. The civic uses, however, have been clustered on the edge of residential areas and closer to the commercial and office uses on Oak Ridge Highway.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE.
1. The CA (General Business) zone is intended for general retail business and services.
2. Rezonings should be based on the entire range of uses allowed within a zone to ensure that any future development would be compatible with surrounding land uses. Though this would be an extension of the CA zone from the south, the existing CA zoning is located on Oak Ridge Highway with direct access, whereas the subject property is not. This property is oriented toward residential and less intensive development on Beaver Ridge Road. As such, the CA zone at this location would disrupt a distinctive boundary between the residential character along this section of Beaver Ridge Road and the commercial development fronting Oak Ridge Highway.

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. Beaver Ridge Road primarily serves the residential neighborhoods to the north, but also serves as a cut-through for the elementary school to the west and the civic and retail establishments to the east. The proposed rezoning would extend the CA zone to the middle of a residential block, which could potentially further increase traffic along this local street and could be a catalyst for further commercial rezonings if approved.
2. The CA zone requires a Type A landscape screen along property lines adjacent to single-family residential uses.

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 has the CMU (Corridor Mixed Use) place type on the Future Land Use Map, which is intended to support areas appropriate for moderate-scale mixed-use development occurring along major corridors.
2. The CA zone is partially related to the CMU place type, which requires additional criteria to be met. The CA zone meets the first criterion, as it permits commercial, office, and residential uses, which are consistent with the recommended land-use mix for the CMU place type. Partially related zones should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, as the zone may be appropriate in some areas while not in others. As previously mentioned, extending the CA zone at this location could disrupt the residential character of Beaver Ridge Road and encourage additional cut-through traffic from the existing commercial developments along Oak Ridge Highway. For this reason, the proposed rezoning conflicts with the Comprehensive Plan's Implementation Policy 2, to ensure that development is sensitive to existing community character.
3. The subject property is within the Planned Growth Area of the Growth Policy Plan, which aims to encourage a reasonably compact pattern of development, promote expansion of the Knoxville-Knox County economy, and offer a wide range of housing choices. The proposed rezoning aligns with the intent of the Planned Growth Area.