Disposition Summary

APPROVE the Special Use for a campground with a maximum of 13 campsites in the locations depicted on the site plan, subject to 7 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

APPROVE the Special Use for a campground with a maximum of 13 campsites in the locations depicted on the site plan, subject to 7 conditions.

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1. Meeting the requirements of the principal use standards for campgrounds (Article 9.3.C) of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
2. All new structures or improvements to the grounds that are used to support the campground operation must be reviewed and approved by Planning Commission staff. If staff determines that the proposal does not meet the intent of this approval, a new Special Use application may be required.
3. Motorhome RVs shall be not be permitted. (Cargo/sprinter vans are permissible.)
4. Meeting the requirements of Article 11 (Off-Street Parking) of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
5. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Plans Review and Inspections.
6. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Engineering.
7. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.

With the conditions noted above, this request meets the requirements of the AG zone, the principal use
standards for campgrounds, and the criteria for approval of a special use.

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This is for a maximum of 13 primitive campsites as shown in the site plan. This proposal is specific to providing the type of camping amenities presented in this application and not to other types of camping, such as motorhome RVs. Access to the site is via Wrinkle Ave, which is a private road.

PRINCIPAL USE STANDARDS
The principal use standards for campgrounds (Article 9.3.C) includes the following. (Staff notes in parenthesis.)
1. The minimum area for a campground is three acres. (The site is 17.94 acres.)
2. Campgrounds must comply with all applicable state and city regulations including those governing the installation, construction, and/or operation of swimming pools, water supply, sewage disposal, food storage and services, plumbing, structures, electrical wiring, and fire prevention. (Proof of compliance is required during permitting. There is no water, electric, or food storage. Sewage per portable toilets.)
3. Management headquarters, recreational facilities, coin operated laundry facilities, cabins for counselors, overnight accommodations, living space, and other uses and structures customarily associated with the operation of a campground are permitted. (No new structures are proposed at this time.)
4. Storage of equipment must be within enclosed structures. (No new structures are proposed at this time.)
5. Year-round residency is prohibited at any campground. Use of camping units or sites as a principal residence is prohibited. This excludes any structures erected specifically for a caretaker or campground ranger, which may be a year-round residency. (No new structures are proposed at this time.)
6. A 25-foot perimeter setback from the lot line of the campground is required. No structures or campsites are allowed within this setback. The perimeter setback must be landscaped per the standards of a Class B buffer yard per Section 12.8. (Alternative Landscape Design has been approved. Existing crushed stone drive within the setback is permitted along northern boundary of site, including a 6-ft tall privacy screen over chain link.)

STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING A SPECIAL USE (ARTICLE 16.2.F.2.)
1) THE USE IS CONSISTENT WITH ADOPTED PLANS AND POLICES, INCLUDING THE GENERAL PLAN AND THE ONE-YEAR PLAN.
A. The One Year Plan designation for this site is SWMUD-2 (South Waterfront Mixed Use District 2), LDR (Low Density Residential), CI (Civic/Institutional) and HP (Hillside Protection).
B. The South City Sector Plan designation for this site is LDR (Low Density Residential), CI (Civic/Institutional) and HP (Hillside Protection).
C. AG zoning that the applicant is requesting to develop under can be considered under the LDR land use designation.
D. The property is located within the HP (Hillside Protection). The proposed development will require 0.49 acres of land disturbance, which is in compliance with the recommended disturbance of 4.76 acres.
E. This property is also within the Knoxville South Waterfront Vision Plan. The campground provides recreational uses and access to Augusta Quarry as proposed in the plan.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The AG (General Agricultural) zoning district is intended to provide for agricultural uses that comprise an important part of the economy of Knoxville. The intent is to permit lands best suited for agriculture to be used for agriculture purposes, and prevent the encroachment of incompatible land uses on farm lands and protect the physical and economic well-being of agricultural operations.
B. A campground is permitted as a special use in the AG zone and must meet the principal use standards of (Article 9.3.C.) as outlined above and the standards for evaluating a special use (Article 16.2.F.2.).
C. The property is within the HP (Hillside Protection) overlay district. The proposed development will require minimal land disturbance and is in compliance with the HP overlay standards.

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 subject property is located on a private road south of the 85-acre Fort Dickerson Park & Augusta Quarry Lake within Knoxville's Urban Wilderness trail and park system and north of a single-family residential city block along Baldwin Ave.
B. All 13 campsites run along the existing driveway on the north side of the property and border the property line with the quarry. Therefore, the campsites closest to the adjacent city block are over 700-ft from the closest house.
C. The campground will be screened from view of nearby homes using the existing tree canopy.

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 campsites are not proposed to have electrical service so lights and amplified noise should not impact adjacent properties.
B. The vehicular traffic to the campground should be minimal on a daily basis since only one car is allowed per campsite.
C. There may be odors and noises from grilling/campfires but this would not be uncommon in a residential setting.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The site is located on Wrinkle Ave, a private road, so it will not draw substantial additional 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 in the area that could be a potential hazard or create an undesirable environment for future uses on this site.