Disposition Summary

APPROVE the Special Use for a campground with a maximum of 6 campsites, 15 tiny mobile home cabins, 6 cabins, 1 bath house, and 1 sauna in the locations depicted on the site plan, subject to 6 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

APPROVE the Special Use for a campground with a maximum of 6 campsites, 15 tiny mobile home cabins, 6 cabins, 1 bath house, and 1 sauna in the locations depicted on the site plan, subject to 6 conditions.

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1. Meeting the requirements of the principal use standards for campgrounds (Article 9.3.C) of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
2. Obtaining Alternative Landscape Design approval before permits are issued that shows the location and species of existing and proposed trees that will be used to meet the required Class B buffer yard per Section 12.8.
3. Meeting the requirements of Article 11 (Off-Street Parking) of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
4. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Plans Review and Inspections.
5. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Engineering.
6. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.

With the conditions noted above, this request meets the requirements of the AG zone, the principal use standards for campgrounds, and the criteria for approval of a special use.

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This is a revision of the previously approved The Drop Inn campground on Sevierville Pike west of Marie Meyers Park (4-E-23-SU). The proposal is for a maximum of 6 campsites, 15 tiny mobile home cabins, 6 cabins, 1 bath house, and 1 sauna, as shown in the site plan. The tiny mobile home cabins are not on permanent foundations and are movable structures, while the cabins are permanent structures. This proposal is specific to providing the type of camping and cabin amenities presented in this application.

PRINCIPAL USE STANARDS
The principal use standards for campgrounds (Article 9.3.C) include the following. (Staff notes in parenthesis.)
1. The minimum area for a campground is three acres. (The site is approximately 15.6 acres.)
2. Campgrounds must comply with all applicable state and city regulations including those governing the installation, construction, and/or operation of swimming pools, water supply, sewage disposal, food storage and services, plumbing, structures, electrical wiring, and fire prevention. (Proof of compliance is required during permitting. Bath house and cabins will have water, sewer, and electricity.)
3. Management headquarters, recreational facilities, coin operated laundry facilities, cabins for counselors, overnight accommodations, living space, and other uses and structures customarily associated with the operation of a campground are permitted. (The proposed structures are for overnight accommodation and office use and are amenities customarily associated with campground operations.)
4. Storage of equipment must be within enclosed structures. (This will be required during permitting.)
5. Year-round residency is prohibited at any campground. The use of camping units or sites as principal residences is prohibited. This excludes any structures erected specifically for a caretaker or campground ranger, which may be a year-round residency. (There are no proposed structures for year-round residency.)
6. A 25-foot perimeter setback from the lot line of the campground is required. No structures or campsites are allowed within this setback. The perimeter setback must be landscaped per the standards of a Class B buffer yard per Section 12.8. (Existing and new vegetation can be used to meet the buffer yard standard. The buffer is required between any campsite, common campground use area, parking area, and adjacent property lines as depicted on the attached site plan.)

STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING A SPECIAL USE (ARTICLE 16.2.F.2.)
1) THE USE IS CONSISTENT WITH ADOPTED PLANS AND POLICES, INCLUDING THE GENERAL PLAN AND THE ONE-YEAR PLAN.
A. This property is located next to Knoxville's Urban Wilderness park system. The campground use is consistent with the General Plan's development policy 9.2, which encourages development practices that fit the natural landscape, minimizing the loss of trees, woodlands, and wildlife habitat.
B. The One Year Plan and South City Sector Plan designation for this site is LDR (Low Density Residential) and HP (Hillside Protection). AG zoning that the applicant is requesting to develop under can be considered under the LDR land use designation.
C. The property is located within the HP (Hillside Protection). The proposed development will require 3.2 acres of land disturbance, which is in compliance with the permitted disturbance of 4.02 acres.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The AG (General Agricultural) zoning district is intended to provide for agricultural uses that comprise an important part of the economy of Knoxville. The intent is to permit lands best suited for agriculture to be used for agriculture purposes, and prevent the encroachment of incompatible land uses on farm lands and protect the physical and economic well-being of agricultural operations.
B. A campground is permitted as a special use in the AG zone and must meet the principal use standards of (Article 9.3.C.) as outlined above and the standards for evaluating a special use (Article 16.2.F.2.) This proposal is in compliance and has obtained Alternative Landscape Design approval to use the existing vegetation.
C. The property is within the HP (Hillside Protection) overlay district. The proposed development will require minimal land disturbance and is in compliance with the HP overlay standards.

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 subject property is on a major collector road with Knoxville's Urban Wilderness park and trail system to the east, north, and south. Single family residential homes are along the northern and western boundaries.
B. The campsite loop "B" is the location closest to the adjacent house at a distance of approximately 190 ft to the west and 375 ft from the closest house to the northwest.
C. The campground will be screened from the view of nearby homes using the existing tree canopy. Additionally, adjacent properties also have dense vegetation.

4) THE USE WILL NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INJURE THE VALUE OF ADJACENT PROPERTY OR BY NOISE, LIGHTS, FUMES, ODORS, VIBRATION, TRAFFIC, CONGESTION, OR OTHER IMPACTS DETRACT FROM THE IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT.
A. Lights should not impact the adjacent properties. Lighting will be limited to small wall packs on tiny home mobile cabins and small wall packs at cabins, with similar lighting to the single family houses in the area. The campground will not include any large pole-mounted lights and will only include limited lighting at the bath house and pathway lighting. The exterior light fixture that is closest to a property line is the cabin porch light, which is approximately 60-ft from the property line at the road, and approximately 138-ft from the west property line, which includes the tree canopy buffer. Additionally, building finishes are muted and darker colors, which will not reflect the lights.
B. Vehicular traffic should be minimal daily as there are only 1.3 motor vehicle parking spaces per campsite/cabin space (34 parking spaces per campsite/cabin).
C. There may be odors and noises from people grilling and around campfires, but this would not be uncommon in a residential setting.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. Motor vehicular access to the site is via Sevierville Pike, a major collector street, so it will not draw substantial additional traffic through residential streets.
B. This site is within the School Parental Responsibility zone. The city will waive the sidewalk construction requirement, as this will not be a residential development. If sidewalks are required along this property in the future, the driveway will be built to ADA standards.

6) THE NATURE OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE SURROUNDING AREA IS NOT SUCH AS TO POSE A POTENTIAL HAZARD TO THE PROPOSED USE OR TO CREATE AN UNDESIRABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PROPOSED USE.
A. There are no known uses in the area that could be a potential hazard or create an undesirable environment for future uses on this site.