Disposition Summary

Approve the request for a cultural facility in the RN-1 zoning district, subject to 2 conditions.

---

Staff Recommendation

Approve the request for a cultural facility in the RN-1 zoning district, subject to 2 conditions.

---

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

---

The applicant is requesting approval of a cultural facility (a facility open to the public that provides access to cultural exhibits and activities, including museums, cultural or historical centers, and non-commercial galleries) within an existing house. The house was owned by Samuel Delaney, father of noted painter Beauford Delaney. The property is owned by the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, who will operate the cultural facility as a museum.

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. The Sector Plan and One Year Plan designation for this parcel is TDR (Traditional Density Residential). The proposed use will not increase the residential density on the property. The Central City Sector Plan references the Beck Cultural Exchange Center as a cultural resource in the sector; the proposed use is a continuation of this cultural resource.
B. The One Year Plan recommends cultural facilities be placed throughout the community at locations accessible to the public, and recommends museums be developed in locations which are easily and safely accessible to through traffic. Per the location criteria in the One Year Plan, the property fronts an arterial street, and will not adversely affect any less intensive land uses in the surrounding area.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The RN-1 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) zone is intended to accommodate traditional low density residential neighborhoods in the City of Knoxville, exhibiting a predominant development pattern of single-family homes on relatively large lots with generous setbacks. Limited nonresidential uses that are compatible with the character of the district may also be permitted. The proposed cultural facility is an extension of the adjacent Beck Cultural Exchange Center and will remain compatible with the character of the district.
B. The proposed cultural facility will operate within an existing single-family house form without modification to the existing building footprint or setbacks.

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 surrounding neighborhood features a mix of single-family houses, multi-family residential development to the northeast and northwest, open space to the northwest and southwest, and a small commercial node to the east. The cultural facility will extend the activities of the adjacent Beck Cultural Exchange Center.
B. The proposed use will not involve modifications to the footprint of the existing house, which is compatible with the size and character of the block and surrounding neighborhood. The proposed use will result in the rehabilitation and preservation of a locally significant historic structure, which was vacant for at least a decade.

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 cultural facility will utilize the existing structure and extend the existing programming of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, which operates on a consistent schedule compatible with the immediate residential context.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The proposed use is similar to the use on the adjacent property and will draw similar traffic as any other residential use in the area. The cultural facility will be accessible from the existing parking provided for the Beck Cultural Exchange Center and also use an existing drive off Dandridge Avenue. Final modifications may be necessary to the site plan to meet City Engineering 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 ENVIORNMENT FOR THE PROPOSED USE.
A. There are no known uses immediately surrounding the subject site that would pose a potential hazard or undesirable environment for the proposed use.