Disposition Summary

Approve the RA (Low Density Residential) zone because it is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and surrounding development.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the RA (Low Density Residential) zone because it is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and surrounding development.

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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. The area to the south along E Emory Road has been increasing in single family residential intensity since the late 1990s, with substantial agricultural to residential rezoning cases being approved within the past two years.
2. Gibbs Middle School opened in the fall of 2018, adding to the Gibbs school system.
3. Around the same time, Tazewell Pike and Emory Road were widened at their intersection. Both were previously two-lane roads that now consist of four lanes with a separate right turn and protected left turn lanes.
4. Also at that time, there were major improvements with the alignment of E Emory Road and Beeler Road to the west of the parcel.
5. The stretch of E Emory Road between Maynardville Pike and Tazewell Pike lies just south of Gibbs High, Middle, and Elementary School and would likely be the main route to the schools. This stretch is to be widened from 2 lanes to 4 lanes including a median and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
6. Data trends have shown an increased demand for a variety of housing options in Knox County, and a residential rezoning could provide an opportunity for additional dwellings to meet this need.
7. A pedestrian bridge crossing Tazewell Pike is in the County's CIP budget.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE.
1. The RA zone is intended to provide for residential areas with low population densities. The RA zone is compatible with the surrounding zoning, which includes properties zoned A, RA, and PR with up to 3.6 du/ac.
2. Rezonings should be based on the entire range of uses allowed within a zone to ensure that any development brought forth at a future time would be compatible with the surrounding land uses. The allowable uses in the RA zone are primarily residential and civic in nature, which aligns with the surrounding area's character.

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 RA zone is considered a low-density residential zone. As such, it is not anticipated to negatively impact the surrounding area, which is primarily residential.
2. A blue line stream runs through the eastern side of the property. A 2024 recorded plat shows that a 50-ft no-build stream buffer is in place (Exhibit B).

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's place type is SR (Suburban Residential) in the Knox County Comprehensive Plan. The RA zone is directly related to the SR place type. The housing mix of the SR place type calls for predominantly single-family dwellings with lots smaller than one acre and attached residential dwellings such as duplexes, both of which are permitted in the RA zone.
2. The recommended rezoning complies with the Comprehensive Plan's Implementation Policy 2, to ensure that new development is sensitive to existing community character. The lot sizes and allowable uses in the RA zone are consistent with the residential character of the surrounding area, which primarily consists of single-family dwellings on a range of lot sizes.
3. The subject property is within the Planned Growth Area of the Growth Policy Plan, which encourages a reasonably compact development pattern. The allowable lot sizes and housing types in the RA zone support the intent of the Planned Growth Area.