Approve PR (Planned Residential) up to 12 du/ac because the property has access to a nearby classified road, with two conditions:
1) Any dwelling within 150 ft of Pleasant Hill Road shall front Pleasant Hill Road and be located on a lot no less than one-third acre in size.
2) The developer must provide a speed study to delineate the operating speed of Kitts Road.
3) Access point via Kitts Road must have an adequate line of sight within the identified operating speed. If sight distance cannot be obtained, the developer must provide a plan accommodating necessary road improvements to obtain sight distance that allows work to occur within the right-of-way or within an easement they have obtained.
4) The developer must enter into a memorandum of understanding with the County to make necessary improvements to Kitts Road.

Disposition Summary

Approve PR (Planned Residential) up to 12 du/ac because the property has access to a nearby classified road, with two conditions:
1) Any dwelling within 150 ft of Pleasant Hill Road shall front Pleasant Hill Road and be located on a lot no less than one-third acre in size.
2) The developer must provide a speed study to delineate the operating speed of Kitts Road.
3) Access point via Kitts Road must have an adequate line of sight within the identified operating speed. If sight distance cannot be obtained, the developer must provide a plan accommodating necessary road improvements to obtain sight distance that allows work to occur within the right-of-way or within an easement they have obtained.
4) The developer must enter into a memorandum of understanding with the County to make necessary improvements to Kitts Road.

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Details of Action

Approve PR (Planned Residential) up to 12 du/ac because the property has access to a nearby classified road, with two conditions:
1) Any dwelling within 150 ft of Pleasant Hill Road shall front Pleasant Hill Road and be located on a lot no less than one-third acre in size.
2) The developer must provide a speed study to delineate the operating speed of Kitts Road.
3) Access point via Kitts Road must have an adequate line of sight within the identified operating speed. If sight distance cannot be obtained, the developer must provide a plan accommodating necessary road improvements to obtain sight distance that allows work to occur within the right-of-way or within an easement they have obtained.
4) The developer must enter into a memorandum of understanding with the County to make necessary improvements to Kitts Road.

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the PR (Planned Residential) zone with up to 12 du/ac due to concerns with existing roadway infrastructure and the subject property's lack of direct access to any of the nearby classified roads.

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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. Since the early 2000s, development in the surrounding area has remained largely unchanged, with very few exceptions - the neighboring property to the west was developed as a recycling/waste center in 2020, and the townhouse development to the southeast was built between 2003 and 2007. The area has otherwise remained stable with mostly single-family homes on large lots. The area is primarily residential in nature, though there is a commercial node at the intersection of Asheville Highway, Andrew Johnson Highway, and Strawberry Plains Pike.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE.
1. The PR zone is intended to provide optional methods of land development that encourage more imaginative solutions to environmental design problems and establish residential areas that are characterized by a unified building and site development program. A stream and wet weather conveyance run through the southeastern portion of the site connecting to Lyon Creek to the south. The PR zone would allow development to be clustered away from environmentally sensitive areas.

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. Planning and Engineering staff have concerns regarding the subject property's access on Kitts Road, which appears to have limited sight distance to the south due to a vertical curve in the road. A sight-distance verification analysis would be required to determine the feasibility of this access point for future development.
2. Though the subject property is near major roads such as Asheville Highway, Andrew Johnson Highway, and Strawberry Plains Pike, it only has direct access to two local streets, Pleasant Hill Road and Kitts Road. Both roads function similarly to collector streets by connecting two classified roads. However, Pleasant Hill Road is unstriped with pavement width varying from 16.5 to 19 ft. At the proposed density, roadway improvements to Pleasant Hill Road would likely be needed to accommodate increased vehicular traffic associated with any potential development, and this would be determined during the design plan phase. Kitts Road is striped and wider than Pleasant Hill Road, but as previously mentioned, it appears to have limited sight distance at this location.
3. The PR zone ensures that site plans undergo a public review process and obtain Planning Commission approval of any proposed developments. The plan will be reviewed to determine whether the proposed development is compatible with the surrounding community.

THE 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 has the TCMU (Town Center Mixed-Use) place type on the Future Land Use Map. The TCMU place type is intended to promote large and compact walkable developments with employment, commercial, residential, civic, and supporting uses integrated horizontally and vertically with connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods. The place type places an emphasis on a mix of commercial, office, and multifamily residential as primary uses integrated either horizontally or vertically.
2. The PR zone with up to 12 du/ac is partially related to the TCMU place types. Partially related zones must meet additional criteria. The proposed rezoning meets the second criterion, as the allowable uses in the PR zone with up to 12 du/ac are consistent with the secondary uses of the TCMU place type.
3. The TCMU place type recommends a housing mix of multifamily buildings, attached residential such as duplexes, multiplexes, and townhomes. The allowable housing types in the PR zone align with the recommended housing mix, though PR does not allow commercial uses unless the development is over 20 acres.
4. The TCMU place type recommends providing connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods and promoting a walkable setting with short block lengths and wide sidewalks. Any future development should include internal and external pedestrian and roadway connections, as well as opportunities for street connectivity to meet the intent of this place type.
5. The East County Community Plan has identified the surrounding area as a Rural Crossroad, and Asheville Highway, Andrew Johnson Highway, and Strawberry Plains Pike as Development Corridors (pg 48-49). Rural Crossroads are development areas designed to create centers of community activity with housing, shopping opportunities, service businesses, and other amenities. Development Corridors are roadways appropriate for a more intense development pattern. As stated previously, the PR zone does not allow mixed-use developments with commercial activities for planned districts under 20 acres. The subject property is approximately 16.24 acres and, though within the rural crossroads buffer, it does not have direct access to any of the identified Development Corridors.
6. The subject property's lack of direct access to any of the nearby classified roads does not support the intent of the TCMU place type or East County Community Plan, which emphasizes mixed-use development in this area largely due to the proximity to the triangle of classified streets.
7. The subject property is within the Planned Growth Area of the Growth Policy Plan, which aims to encourage a reasonably compact pattern of development, promote expansion of the Knoxville-Knox County economy, and offer a wide range of housing choices. The proposed rezoning aligns with the intent of the Planned Growth Area.