Disposition Summary

Approve the LI (Light Industrial) zone because it is consistent with the adopted plans and compatible with the industrial character of the area.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the LI (Light Industrial) zone because it is consistent with the adopted plans and compatible with the industrial character of the area.

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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. The subject property is located in an active industrial node established around the early 1960s that features a mix of manufacturing, assembling, and wholesaling operations.
2. In 2022, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) completed a road widening project on Chapman Highway that installed a center turn lane and realigned the intersection of Valgro Road. The segment of Valgro Road between Sevierville Pike and Chapman Highway was moved further south and renamed E Simpson Road. The new E Simpson Road intersection included dedicated left- and right-turn lanes with a striped median to improve roadway safety and traffic flow.
3. In 2024, the Knoxville-Farragut-Knox County Growth Policy Plan was updated to expand the Planned Growth Area based on existing conditions, infrastructure, and trends in land use. The subject property is now included in this expanded area, which was previously designated as Rural.
4. A large, steeply sloped forested tract of land that abuts the east side of the subject property was gifted to Knox County in 2025 for future recreation, open space, and natural habitat preservation, and is not expected to be developed in any manner outside of recreational purposes.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE.
1. The LI (Light Industrial) zone is intended to provide for areas in which the principal use of land is for processing, storage, packaging, wholesaling, distribution, light manufacturing, and restricted retailing. The subject property meets the intent of the LI zone, as it is within an established industrial node that primarily consists of manufacturing, assembling, and wholesaling uses.
2. Rezonings should be based on the entire range of uses allowed within a zone to ensure that any development brought forth at a future time would be compatible with the surrounding land uses. The rezoning would be an extension of the LI zone from the north and west, and it is compatible with the neighboring CB (Business and Manufacturing) and EC (Employment Center) zoning.

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. The LI zone has performance standards intended to mitigate impacts on neighboring residentially zoned properties, including increased setbacks, landscape buffering, and exterior lighting requirements (Article 5, Sections 5.60.06-11).
2. The LI zone restricts the range of permitted industrial activities and requires primary operations of all allowable uses, except nurseries, to be conducted within a completely enclosed building. Limited outdoor storage is permitted for materials used in the primary operation or for the finished product of any operation, provided it is completely screened from view from any public right-of-way.
3. The LI zone at this location is not anticipated to negatively impact the surrounding area.

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 BP (Business Park) place type on the Future Land Use Map. The BP place type is intended for employment intensive uses that may include corporate office, light industrial, advanced manufacturing, and research and development. The LI zone is partially related to the BP place type and must meet additional review criteria. The proposed rezoning meets the second criterion, as the LI zone is compatible with the LI, EC, and CB zoning of adjacent sites.
2. The LI zone supports the intent of the BP place type, as the allowable uses in the zone align with the recommended land use mix of primarily light industrial and office uses.
3. The proposed rezoning is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan's Implementation Policy 3: Encourage infill and redevelopment of underutilized commercial land. The subject property is currently a vacant and partially wooded lot within an established industrial node with nearby access to Chapman Highway.
4. As previously mentioned, the subject property is within the Planned Growth Area of the Growth Policy Plan. The purpose of the Planned Growth Area is to encourage a reasonably compact pattern of development, promote the expansion of the Knox County economy, and coordinate the action of public and private sectors. The LI zone supports the intent of the Planned Growth Area.