Disposition Summary

Approve the requested neighborhood nonresidential reuse for a bakery, subject to 2 conditions.

---

Staff Recommendation

Approve the requested neighborhood nonresidential reuse for a bakery, subject to 2 conditions.

---

1) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
2) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Engineering Department.

With the conditions noted, this request meets the criteria to approve a Special Use for a neighborhood nonresidential reuse.

---

This proposal is for a neighborhood nonresidential reuse to permit the redevelopment of a 750-sf former market and deli building as a subscription bakery called Olive Street Rising. The bakery is anticipated to be open Tuesday through Friday, from 7am to 6pm, and Saturday from 8:30am to 11am. Subscription pick-ups will occur between 3pm and 6pm. The bakery will be open for breakfast and walk-ins with 'grab-n-go' items and 3 picnic tables outside for customers. The existing parking lot is not in compliance with current Engineering standards because it requires vehicles to back into traffic. The parking lot would provide 3 off-street parking spaces with the addition of two bike racks. A 10-ft Class A Landscape Buffer and general site landscaping is shown to include 5 canopy trees, 6 evergreen trees, 29 evergreen shrubs and 3 planter boxes on a lot that is currently lacking vegetation.

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 Special Use request is consistent with the General Plan's development policies 8.2 and 9.3. Policy 8.2 describes locating neighborhood commercial services so that they will enhance, rather than hinder, the stability of residential areas. Policy 9.3 focuses on how the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, should not impact existing neighborhoods and communities. The subject property is the site of a former market and deli business, which provided prepared food and grocery items to Parkridge neighborhood residents. The request to renovate this small building for a bakery maintains the stability of this local community-serving commercial space. The property is also located across the street from the Parkridge Community Garden, making the immediate area a natural gathering space for surrounding residents.
B. The land use classification for this property in the One Year Plan and the Central City Sector Plan is TDR (Traditional Neighborhood Residential). The TDR location criteria includes areas where neighborhood or community mixed use development is identified. This reference to a mix of uses in a residential context supports a neighborhood commercial use like a bakery here.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The property is zoned RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood), which permits a limited range of nonresidential uses that are compatible with the character of the district. The small scale and location of the proposed bakery indicate that it will primarily serve the surrounding Parkridge community. This use is consistent with how the property has historically been used, and it is compatible with the surrounding residential context.
B. Article 9.3.V describes the principal use standards for a neighborhood nonresidential reuse. The reuse of an existing nonresidential structure for an eating and drinking establishment is consistent these standards. No off-street parking is required, but existing parking must be maintained, which is represented in the site plan. There is no drive-through facility or outdoor storage/display proposed, which is prohibited. Lastly, the proposed wall signs comply with signage requirements. The projecting sign shown on the cover sheet of the site plan reflects a prior iteration that attempted to perserve and reuse an existing sign. This was replaced with a wall sign, as shown on sheet A3.1, to bring the signange into compliance with current zoning.

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. This proposed use is a renovating an existing small-scale commercial building, which has existed at this location since at least 1969. A neighborhood-serving commercial use and the size and function of this long-established building is compatible with the character of the historic Parkridge neighborhood.

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 bakery is not anticipated to have an adverse impact on adjacent properties, as this location has been operated in a similar commercial capacity for many years. The 10-ft Class A Landscape Buffer will be required at permitting where the property abuts a residence to the northeast to provide a visual separation between these different land uses.
B. The site plan shows a reconfiguration of the parking lot that will bring it into compliance with current transportation engineering standards. Currently, the parking lot is arranged so that vehicles have to back out onto N Olive Street to exit. With the proposed redevelopment provides a driveway for ingress and egress, which will improve traffic safety conditions on this local street.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. As stated, the proposed bakery will function in a similar capacity to the previous deli and market that operated in this building. It is not anticipated to draw significant traffic into this residential area. It is also noteworthy that N Olive Street exceeds contemporary local street standards with its 30-ft width. This street has ample room for street parking and two-way traffic.

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 aspects of the property or the surrounding context that pose a risk to the requested use of a bakery.