Disposition Summary

Approved with Conditions

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Approve the Concept Plan subject to 14 conditions.

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1) Connection to sanitary sewer and meeting other relevant utility provider requirements.
2) Provision of street names consistent with the Uniform Street Naming and Addressing System within Knox County (County Ord. 91-1-102).
3) REVISED (2/10/2026)- Implementing the recommendations of the Simmons' Farm Traffic Impact Study (Cannon & Cannon, 10/28/2024) as required by Knox County Engineering and Public Works and the Tennessee Department of Transportation during the design plan phase (see Exhibit B), excluding the recommendation of a westbound left turn lane on Emory Road at the Roberts Road intersection, and partnering with Knox County to install an advanced warning flasher with radar detection on both Emory Road and Roberts Road (see Exhibit C).
4) REVISED (2/10/2026)- Entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with Knox County Engineering and Public Works for completing off-site improvements per Chapter 54, Article V of the Knox County Code (Ord. O-23-4-102). The County will engage the developer's TIA preparer to create an estimate to complete the left turn lane required at Roberts Roads and Washington Pike, and once the developer has submitted the corresponding funds equal to the estimate, the County will design and implement a larger project to align the northern and southern Roberts Road intersections. The cost sharing agreement for the advanced warning flashers on E. Emory Road and Roberts Road, as outlined in condition #3, will be determined during the design plan phase.
5) If during design plan approval or construction of the development, it is discovered that unforeseen off-site improvements within the right-of-way are necessary, the developer will either enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the County for these improvements or reimburse the County for their direct expenses (if completed by County crews) to make corrections deemed necessary.
6) Labeling Lot 17 as a Common Area lot on the final plat, such as CA1, to indicate it is not a house lot.
7) Submitting a geotechnical report for review and approval by Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the design plan phase to determine if any areas shown as closed contour sinkholes on the concept plan are required to be shown on the final plat as a closed contour sinkhole with a 50 ft building setback (buffer) as required by Section 3.06.B of the Subdivision Regulations. If it is determined by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) that the feature is not a sinkhole, or Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works staff determines that the closed contour designation on KGIS is the result of a manmade feature, the feature will not have to be designated on the plat. If the approved geotechnical report determines that a closed contour identified by Knox County Engineering and Public Works is not a sinkhole, the certification to be provided by Knox County Engineering and Public Works must be placed on the final plat and sealed by the applicant's engineer.
8) Adding a note on the final plat that all structures will have to be located outside of the 50-foot setback area unless a geotechnical study prepared by a registered engineer states that building within the 50' sinkhole/closed contour area setback is acceptable and the study is approved by the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works. The geotechnical study must be reviewed and approved prior to approval of a plat for any proposed lots that do not have an adequate building area outside of the 50-foot setback area. Building construction is not permitted within the sinkhole/closed contour area or within any required drainage easement for the sinkhole/closed contour area.
9) Certifying that the required sight distance is available along Roberts Road in both directions at the Road 'D' intersection, with documentation provided to the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works for review and approval during the design plan phase.
10) All double frontage lots must meet the requirements of Section 3.02.A.4. of the Subdivision Regulations.
11) Providing the total acreage of the property (parcel 022-00514) on the subdivision's final plats per condition #2 of the Development Plan (2-E-26-DP) to confirm the proposed 149 lots (dwellings) does not exceed 2 du/ac.
12) Meet all applicable requirements of the Knox County Zoning Ordinance.
13) Meet all applicable requirements of the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works.
14) Before certification of the final plat for the subdivision, establish a property owners association or other legal entity responsible for maintaining common facilities, such as common areas, amenities, private roads, and/or stormwater drainage systems.

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REVISION (2/10/2026) -- Conditions #3 and #4 were modified per the recommendation of TDOT and Knox County Engineering and Public Works to install advanced warning flashers with radar along these roadways in lieu of a westbound left turn lane on E. Emory Road at the Roberts Road intersection. The turn lane is currently warranted without the development. However, sight distance does not meet the minimum standard looking east along E. Emory Road, and the left-turn movements from Roberts Road onto E. Emory Road would be impacted by the development. Therefore, the advanced warning signs will be installed as a partnership between Knox County and the developer.

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This proposal is for a 149-lot detached residential subdivision on the 74.73-acre property at a density of 1.99 du/ac. The majority of the lots are clustered on 28.5 acres on the eastern portion of the property, closer to Roberts Road. The remainder of the property is split into several lots larger than 1-acre, a 17-acre lot, and a 5-acre common area. The southwestern portion of the site is identified as a wetland, with a 50-ft buffer. The property was rezoned from A (Agricultural) to PR (Planned Residential) up to 2 du/ac in March 2024 (2-J-24-RZ).

BACKGROUND
In November 2024, the Planning Commission approved a 141-lot concept plan and development plan for this property (11-SA-24-C / 11-A-24-DP), with a lot and road layout similar to the current proposal. The main difference between the previous (2024) and current (2026) subdivision plan is that the 2024 plan labeled the western portion of the property as "future development". The Planning Commission's approval of the development plan (11-A-24-DP) was appealed and heard by the Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals in January 2025 (BZA file # 24-Z0069). The motion to uphold the Planning Commission's approval failed 2-7, rendering the appeal approved and denying the development plan. In addition, this rendered the concept plan approval null and void. The rationale for denying the development plan was not provided in a motion, but a primary concern expressed by the board members was that the rear (western) 48-acre portion of the property lacked a proposed use and was labeled "future development". This has been addressed by proposing 7 large house lots and 1 common area.

TRANSPORTATION IMPACT STUDY (TIS)
The TIS studied the impact of the additional traffic at the proposed Roberts Road access points and the intersections of Washington Pike to the south and E. Emory Road to the north. The conclusions of the study are:

1. Install a left turn lane (50 feet storage) on E. Emory Road (SR 331) at Roberts Road intersection.
UPDATE (2/10/2026)- TDOT and Knox County Engineering and Public Works recommend installing advanced warning signs with radar on E. Emory Road and Roberts Road in lieu of the turn lane. The TIS preparers recommendation regarding the advanced warning flashers is provided in Exhibit C.
2. At the intersections of Roberts Road at Washington Pike, a left turn lane is warranted during the PM peak hour at the eastern intersection and during the AM peak hour at the western intersection. Due to the proximity of the eastern and western intersections of Roberts Road at Washington Pike (around 200 feet), installing left turn lanes for opposing movements would not be easily accommodated. It is recommended to realign Roberts Road to create a more traditional four-way intersection to accommodate the additional traffic associated with this development.
3. Maintain intersection corner sight distances on the site driveways by ensuring that new site signage and landscaping is appropriately located.

The County will engage the developer's TIS preparer to create an estimate to complete the left turn lane required at Roberts Roads and Washington Pike, and once the developer has submitted the corresponding funds equal to the estimate, the County will design and implement a larger project to align the northern and southern Roberts Road intersections.

ALTERNATIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
The applicant requests to increase the maximum intersection grade from 1% to 1.02% on Road 'B' at Road 'A', and to 1.5% on Road 'B' at Road 'D'. Knox County Engineering and Public Works can approve an intersection grade of up to 2% when there is a crosswalk and 3% when there is no crosswalk.