Disposition Summary

Approve the Level III Alternative Compliance Review, subject to three conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the Level III Alternative Compliance Review, subject to three conditions.

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1. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
2. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Engineering Department.
3. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Fire Marshall.

With the conditions noted, this plan meets the requirements for approval of a Level III Alternative Compliance Review.

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This is a request for a Level III Alternative Compliance Review for the properties at 2216 and 2224 W. Blount Avenue in the SW-1 (Old Sevier and Scottish Pike) District. The site is located west of Chapman Highway just to the east of the Tennessee River. Fort Dickerson Park is one block to the southeast.

The offices of Elastic Pictures and Auralation Studios occupy the building at 2216 W. Blount Avenue. The existing structure was recently renovated. Street views show this occurred sometime between March 2019 and May 2021. The applicant is proposing a new surface parking lot on the adjacent parcel at 2224 W. Blount Avenue.

Level III Alternative Compliance Reviews require a description and documentation from the City's Zoning Administrator. The City has submitted a report documenting the request and providing additional background information on the site and the request.

STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING A LEVEL III ALTERNATIVE COMPLIANCE REVIEW (ARTICLE 7.02.G.8)

1) THE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE CONSISTENT WITH APPLICABLE ADOPTED PLAN.
A. The South City Sector Plan has this property designated as MU-SD, SC-1 (South Waterfront District) which allows consideration of various South Waterfront (SW) form based zoning districts.
B. The Knoxville South Waterfront Vision Plan, adopted with the South City Sector Plan, makes the following assessments about the South Waterfront area in which this property is located:
1. "The highest and best use potential for the South Waterfront is not a single use. Rather, the most
promising opportunity is to capitalize on the market synergy resulting from coexistence of diverse,
complimentary uses to create an exciting mixed-use environment" (p. 44).
a. The plan calls for a mix of uses in this area, including office space.
2. The Vision Plan shows this parcel in an area designated as "Down River." (pp. 45-46) and states, "A
realigned Blount Avenue follows the path of the river more closely, and here larger scale
development is oriented around a new cove and marina" (p. 48).
a. The marina is no longer being considered for this part of the river, so this part of the plan is
somewhat out of date regarding the future uses to be considered in this area.
3. The plan describes W. Blount Avenue as a two-lane road with no curbs or sidewalks, calling it "essentially
rural in character" (p. 50). The plan goes on to say that "the design team does not feel that an expansive,
tree-lined median is necessary... Rather, new plantings in a dedicated tree zone, the addition of a parking
lane to calm traffic and new streetlights maintain the street right-of-way without acquiring private property
on either side of the street" (p. 50).
a. This proposal includes street trees and trees within the parking area in accordance with the SW-1
code requirements, which also meets the intent of the Knoxville South Waterfront Vision Plan.

2) THE DEVELOPMENT WILL NOT HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL OR UNDUE ADVERSE EFFECT UPON THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE CHARACTER OF THE AREA, TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, PARKING, PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, AND OTHER MATTERS AFFECTING THE PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY AND GENERAL WELFARE.
A. The use is existing and therefore approval of this request is not anticipated to have a negative impact on the area.
B. Planning agrees with the City of Knoxville Plans Review and Inspections Department that the proposed changes to the site, including the reconfiguration of site parking, would improve safety conditions.

3) THE USE IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE IT IS PROPOSED, AND WITH THE SIZE AND LOCATION OF BUILDINGS IN THE VICINITY.
A. The use is existing and therefore approval of this request is not anticipated to have a negative impact on the neighborhood. Since the plan increases safety, it would benefit the area in general.

4) THE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE CONSTRUCTED AND OPERATED TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE DISTRICT AND OTHER APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS.
A. The SW-1 District is the only one that specifies land uses. The table in Section 7.1.3.B.6 has a line item for "Building Function" that specifies the land uses allowed in the zone. It lists "household living" (i.e., residential uses), places of worship, and schools as permitted uses and day cares as a use on review (now referred to as a special use). Since a parking lot is not one of the permitted uses, the proposal requires a Level III Alternative Compliance Review per Article 7.02.G.1.
B. The preexisting commercial use and proposed expansion to construct a surface parking lot for that commercial use qualifies the application as a Level III Alternative Compliance Review.
C. Article 11.6.A of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance (Design of Off-Street Parking Facilities) prohibits back-out parking, so this proposal brings the parking for this building into compliance with the parking regulations.

5) THE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT OF THE APPLICABLE FORM DISTRICT AND PLAN
A. The Vision and Intent statement of the SW-1 (Old Sevier and Scottish Pike) District is as follows: "The Old Sevier and Scottish Pike areas are envisioned to conserve the "small town, neighborhood" atmosphere. New developments in these areas are encouraged to preserve and extend the existing neighborhood character and to maintain a complementary scale and density."
B. The proposed use does not fit the character of the intent statement. However, Planning is in agreement with the City's Plans Review and Inspections Department that the proposed surface parking lot alleviates existing safety concerns regarding traffic and that the site could be readily redeveloped in the future with structures and uses that are more in line with the vision and intent of the SW-1 District.
C. This section of W. Blount Avenue falls between the Scottish Pike and Sevier Avenue neighborhoods and is more industrial in nature than the Vision statement suggests, though there are single family homes abutting these industrial uses. The existing office use provides a transition from the industrial uses along the river to the single-family detached houses behind the site.

6) THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT CAN BE ADEQUATELY SERVED BY PUBLIC FACILITIES.
A. The site is served by sewer and water.

7) THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT WILL NOT RESULT IN THE DESTRUCTION, LOSS, OR DAMAGE OF ANY SIGNIFICANT NATURAL, SCENIC, OR HISTORICAL DISTRICT, SITE, OR FEATURE.
A. The site has already been developed; the structure at 2216 W. Blount Avenue is to remain in use and the structure at 2224 W. Blount Avenue has been demolished in anticipation of the proposed parking lot. Because the site was cleared and graded with the existing and previous buildings, there will be no loss or damage to natural or scenic features.
B. The site is not in a historic zone and no historic features will be lost.

8) COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS.
A. The applicant is not proposing to subdivide the property.

9) COMPLIANCE WITH THE MAJOR ROAD PLAN.
A. W. Blount Avenue is classified as a major collector, so it has more traffic than a local road. As such, the proposal to remove the parking that backs out onto W. Blount Avenue is an important safety consideration.

10) COMPLIANCE WITH THE ONE YEAR PLAN.
A. The One Year Plan has this property designated as SWMUD-1 (South Waterfront Mixed Use District), which allows for diverse uses and a range of development intensities and forms.

11) COMPLIANCE WITH THE STORMWATER AND STREET ORDINANCE.
A. This proposal is in compliance with this ordinance.