Staff Recommendation

Approve

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MPC staff has been working with the Holston Hills, Chilhowee Hills and Holston Heights area since last fall to create the new R-1EN zone district and apply it to a large established area in East Knoxville.

The proposed area includes 1,285 acres and has 1,250 lots or parcels, a gross density of about 1 lot per acre. The boundary has been drawn to capture the platted lots of Holston Hills, Holston Heights and a series of subdivisions generally called Chilhowee Hills, as well as some other smaller subdivisions. Virtually all of these lots meet the standards of the proposed R-1EN district. Currently platted lots and legal lots of record will have legal nonconforming status.

The proposed R-1EN (Established Neighborhood) Residential Zone District, first tentatively called R-100, creates a zone district for established neighborhoods that were developed with significantly larger lots than their current R-1 zoning. Its intent is twofold:
to preserve the existing pattern of development by establishing dimensional requirements that more closely match the existing development, and
to protect the existing character of development by establishing minimum design requirements for new housing within the neighborhood.

The new zone district will prevent the subdivision of existing platted lots into smaller lots using the current R-1 standards, with a minimum lot size of 7,500 square feet and a minimum front yard setback of 25 feet. There are many lots in the proposed district that could subdivide their current lot into three lots, with one new lot in the current front yard and one new lot in the current rear yard.

Virtually all of the area within the district is within platted subdivisions, although there are a small number of unplatted parcels within the proposed district. These unplatted parcels would qualify as infill parcels and allowed to develop under the requirements of the R-1EN district if they are at least 2 acres and have at least 250 feet of street frontage.

The new zone district establishes minimum design requirements for any primary structure built or moved into the district. These requirements will assure some compatibility with the existing homes in the district.

Neighborhood meetings were held November 13, December 11, January 8, March 12 and April 2. At each meeting 30 to 50 were in attendance.

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Disposition Summary

R-1EN (Established Neighborhood)