Disposition Summary

Approved with Conditions

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Approve the requested variances and alternative design standards based on the justification provided by the applicant and recommendations of the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works.

Approve the Concept Plan subject to 14 conditions.

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1) Connection to sanitary sewer and meeting other relevant utility provider requirements.
2) Provision of street names consistent with the Uniform Street Naming and Addressing System within Knox County (County Ord. 91-1-102).
3) Certifying that the required sight distance is available along W. Emory Road in both directions at the Road 'B' intersection, with documentation provided to Knox County Engineering and Public Works for review and approval during the design plan phase. The sight distance shall be certified using design grades at the entrance before grading permits are issued for the site.
4) If a new road or pedestrian connection is provided in the western portion of Road 'B' to provide additional connectivity in the loop road, this may be approved by Planning Commission staff and Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the design plan phase, provided there are no new variances or alternative design standards requiring Planning Commission approval.
5) Adding the non-disturbance line to the final plat, which includes the slopes 25% or greater on the north side of the property. The non-disturbance line is a condition of this PR (Planned Residential) district.
6) Any sidewalks installed that are not required per Chapter 54, Article IV of the Knox County Code ("sidewalk ordinance") must be maintained by the home owners association.
7) Providing a 250-ft sight distance easement in both directions for the western intersection of Road 'B' at Road 'C', per the requirements of Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the design plan phase.
8) Providing a minimum 200-ft sight distance easement for all horizontal curves with a radius less than 200 ft.
9) The driveways on lots with sight distance easements must be shown on the final plat located outside the sight distance easement, or the driveway must have a 20 ft depth outside the easement.
10) If any building construction is proposed within the 50-ft buffer area around the designated sinkholes/depressions (including the depressions), a geotechnical report must be prepared by a registered engineer to determine soil stability and that report must be submitted to the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works for consideration. Any construction in these areas is subject to approval by the County following a review of the report. Engineered footings must be designed for these areas.
11) Implementing the recommendations of the Poplar Farms Subdivision Transportation Impact Analysis (J.M. Teague, revised 3/30/2023), as revised and approved by Planning Commission staff and Knox County Engineering and Public Works (see Exhibit A).
12) Providing access to all common area lots per the requirements of Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the design plan phase.
13) Meeting all applicable requirements of Knox County Engineering and Public Works.
14) Before certification of the final plat for the subdivision, establish a property owners association or other legal entity responsible for maintaining common facilities, such as common areas, amenities, private roads, and/or stormwater drainage systems.

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This proposal is a residential subdivision with 143 lots on 67.32 acres at a density of 2.12 du/ac. The property was rezoned from A (Agricultural) to PR (Planned Residential) up to 2.2 du/ac in February 2023 (1-W-23-RZ), with the condition that the portion of the parcel with slopes of 25% or greater shall be left undisturbed (see Exhibit B).

Approximately 65.95 acres of the 67-acre site are within the HP (Hillside Protection) area. The slope analysis (attached) recommends limiting land disturbance within the HP area to 37.7 acres. This proposal will disturb approximately 30 acres in the HP area.

The development has one access point to W. Emory Road. According to the transportation impact analysis, turn lanes on W. Emory Road are not warranted.

The proposed road design requires the approval of several variances and alternative design standards. Most of these are reductions in horizontal curves and tangents between curves that will help reduce travel speeds and not impact safety on a 25 MPH road. There are two requests to increase the maximum road grade from 12% to 14.58% and 12.01%. Road grades between 12-15% are generally acceptable over short distances.