Disposition Summary

Approve the request for a parking lot in the C-G-3 (General Commercial) zoning district, subject to 3 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the request for a parking lot in the C-G-3 (General Commercial) zoning district, subject to 3 conditions.

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1. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance, including, but not limited to, Article 12 (Landscape) and Article 11 (Off-Street Parking).
2. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Engineering, including, but not limited to, obtaining approval of a Riparian Buffer Zone mitigation plan.
3. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Plans Review and Inspections.

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A new hotel is being proposed on Papermill Drive with its parking lot being split into three separate parcels. This request is for the two parcels that are zoned C-G-3 and contain part of the parking lot with no structures.

STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING A SPECIAL USE (ARTICLE 16.2.F.2) 1)

THE USE IS CONSISTENT WITH ADOPTED PLANS AND POLICIES, INCLUDING THE GENERAL PLAN AND THE ONE-YEAR PLAN.
A. This segment of Papermill Drive mostly includes commercial and office use. The proposed parking lot on this auto-oriented corridor is consistent with the General Plan's development policy 8.11 that encourages to promote commercial infill development rather than greenfield development.
B. The proposed use in tandem with the hotel is consistent with the One Year Plan and West City Sector Plan's MU-SD WC-2 (Mixed Use Special District, Papermill Corridor) land use classification. Although the sector plan recommends parking areas to be located under, behind or to the side of buildings, the subject parcels include no buildings. A perimeter landscape yard will be provided along the right-of-way that would screen the parking lot from the street.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The C-G-3 district is intended to provide for a heterogeneous mix of retail, personal service, office, and residential uses within and along Knoxville's commercial nodes and corridors. The proposed parking lot is required to meet the parking space requirements of the proposed hotel.
B. A 10-ft perimeter landscape yard (Article 12.5) and interior parking lot landscape (Article 12.6) shall be provided to comply with the requirements of the zoning ordinance, subject to review and approval by the City's Plans Review & Inspection Department during the permitting phase.

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 area is primarily characterized by commercial uses with several businesses with large parking lots. The proposed parking lot will be consistent with this automobile-oriented commercial area.

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. The proposed use is not expected to have any significant adverse impacts on adjacent properties.
B. The proposed parking lot encroaches into the Riparian Buffer Zone. A mitigation plan for the encroachment shall be approved by the City of Knoxville Engineering Department, as mentioned in condition 2.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. Papermill Drive is a major collector street with easy access to the I-40 and the proposed use is not expected to draw substantial traffic through residential streets.

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 or environmental factors immediately surrounding the subject property that would pose a potential hazard or have an undesirable impact on the proposed use.