Disposition Summary

Approve the special use request for up to 21 townhouses, subject to 5 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the special use request for up to 21 townhouses, subject to 5 conditions.

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1) Meeting all applicable requirements of the Zoning Code, including but not limited to, the principal use standards for townhouses (Article 9.3.I).
2) Obtaining a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Design Review Board.
3) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Engineering Department.
4) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Plans Review and Inspections Department.
5) Meeting the applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Tree Protection Ordinance.

With the noted conditions, the plan meets the requirements for approval in the RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) zoning district and the criteria for special use approval.

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This proposal is for 21 townhouses on 1.45 acres of the 2.27-acre lot. The remaining 0.82 acres will be combined with the adjacent lot to the south, which is under the same ownership. The subject property was rezoned from INST (Institutional) to RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) in February 2025 (1-H-25-RZ). The IH (Infill Housing Overlay) zoning was retained, and the development must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) from the Design Review Board (DRB) confirming compliance with the Infill Housing Design Guidelines. The project is on the April 15th DRB agenda.

The site is currently a surface parking lot on the former St. Mary's Hospital campus, elevated above Churchwell Avenue and screened by a tall brick wall. The brick wall will be removed, and the new townhouses will have a partial ground floor and porch with entry at the Churchwell Avenue elevation. The townhouses are 3 stories tall.

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 proposal must be consistent with the Infill Housing Design Guidelines and obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Design Review Board. This is consistent with the General Plan's development policies 8.1 and 8.3, which encourage infill housing on vacant lots and redevelopment parcels, focusing on design quality and neighborhood compatibility, including scale, design, and site layout that are compatible with neighboring residences. - The Infill Housing Design Guidelines have specific recommendations regarding neighborhood compatibility.
B. This proposal is consistent with the General Plan's development policy 11.4, to create a gradual zoning transition pattern by placing medium intensity zones and uses such as offices, condominiums, and
community buildings in between single-family residential areas and higher intensity uses.- The townhouse development is a transitional use between the single-family residential neighborhood to the north and the proposed multi-family development and existing institutional uses to the south.
C. The Central City Sector Plan and One Year Plan recommend the TDR (Traditional Neighborhood Residential) land use, which is primarily residential and is characterized by neighborhoods where a mix of detached and attached houses, sidewalks, and smaller lots. Alleys have typically been or are to be created. - The townhouse development is consistent with the recommended mix of residential types, and vehicular access and parking are via a shared driveway system to the rear of the structures that functions similarly to an alley, with access to Huron Street and Saint Mary Street.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The RN-4 district is intended to accommodate mixed medium density residential neighborhoods in the City of Knoxville, characterized by houses, duplexes, townhomes, low-rise multi-family dwellings, and pocket neighborhoods.
B. The site plan conforms to the RN-4 dimensional standards (Article 4.3) and the principal use standards for townhouses (Article 9.3.I).
C. The IH district is intended to foster infill residential development and major additions that are compatible with the design of original houses in older Knoxville neighborhoods, particularly those built more than 50 years ago along grid streets that often had sidewalks and alleys. - The project must be consistent with the Infill Housing Design Guidelines and obtain a COA from the DRB.

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 houses on the north side of Churchwell Avenue are 1 and 1.5-story houses with pitched roofs.
B. A 4-unit, 2-story townhouse development was approved by the DRB in November 2025 for the vacant lot in the southwest quadrant of the Churchwell Avenue and Huron Street intersection. This development has not started construction.
C. The 3-story structure is taller and located closer to the front lot line than the 1 and 1.5-story houses on the north side of Churchwell Avenue. The maximum height for townhouses in the RN-4 zone is 35 ft, measured from the average grade along the front building line (for each townhouse unit) to the midpoint of a pitched roof. The pitched roof with front-facing gables is consistent with the neighborhood's houses, but it does make the structures appear taller. A flat roof would reduce the overall height, but it is less compatible with the surrounding 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. Townhouses are considered a transitional use between lower and higher intensity uses and are compatible with the surrounding residential uses.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The development is accessed from Huron Street and Saint Mary Street in a location that has historically provided access to parking for the former St. Mary's Hospital, before the residential uses to the north.

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 immediately surrounding the subject property that would pose a potential hazard or undesirable environment for the proposed use.