Approve the RN-3 (General Residential Neighborhood) district because it is compatible with the residential development pattern. The HP (Hillside Protection Overlay) would be retained.

Disposition Summary

Approve the RN-3 (General Residential Neighborhood) district because it is compatible with the residential development pattern. The HP (Hillside Protection Overlay) would be retained.

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Details of Action

Approve the RN-3 (General Residential Neighborhood) district because it is compatible with the residential development pattern. The HP (Hillside Protection Overlay) would be retained.

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) district because it is incompatible with the residential development pattern. The HP (Hillside Protection Overlay) would be retained.

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PURSUANT TO THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE ZONING ORDINANCE, SECTION 16.1.E, ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET FOR ALL REZONINGS:

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE NECESSARY BECAUSE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED OR CHANGING CONDITIONS IN THE AREA AND DISTRICTS AFFECTED, OR IN THE CITY/COUNTY GENERALLY:
1. The South Waterfront community is one of the fastest developing areas of Knoxville, stemming in part from the adoption of a form-based zoning code to implement the South Waterfront Vision Plan. However, the plan did not advance a vision for increasing residential intensity along Gertrude Avenue where the subject property is located.
2. The residential development along Gertrude Avenue has remained predominantly single-family among wooded hillsides. There are no changing conditions in this context to support the requested rezoning from the RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) to the RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) district.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The RN-4 district is intended to accommodate mixed medium density residential development. Single-family, two-family, townhouses and low-rise multi-family dwellings are permitted. The RN-4 District is intended to be applied to neighborhoods that are characterized by such mixed residential development, or that have been identified as areas where such development would be suitable in the future.
2. While the RN-4 district would be a minor extension from the west, the development on that adjacent RN-4 lot is a single-family detached dwelling similar in character to the rest of the homes to the east. The Velas Condominium is a small multifamily development at the corner of Gertrude Avenue and Davenport Road, a minor collector street. This development is at the edge of the neighborhood whereas the subject property is integrated within an established single-family context. The subject lot is not aligned with the intent of the RN-4 district to accommodate medium density residential development.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE CITY, NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AMENDMENT.
1. The minimum lot size in the dimensional standards of the RN-4 district would permit consideration of up to seven multifamily units on the subject property. Gertrude Avenue is a narrow residential street that has an offset intersection with Dixie Road to the east, which is not designed for increasing residential intensity. Development under the RN-4 district, and a continued trend of upzoning in this area could create a traffic burden on surrounding narrow, disjointed street infrastructure.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE KNOXVILLE-KNOX COUNTY GENERAL PLAN AND ITS COMPONENT PARTS, INCLUDING ADOPTED SECTOR PLANS, CORRIDOR PLANS, AND RELATED DOCUMENTS.
1. The proposed rezoning is inconsistent with the LDR (Low Density Residential) land use classification in the South City Sector Plan, which staff do not recommend amending to MDR (Medium Density Residential).
2. The RN-4 district at this location is also inconsistent with the General Plan's Development Policy 8.1, which states that infill residential development should be compatible with neighboring residences in scale, design, and site layout. RN-4 zoning would permit a scale and intensity of residential development that would be out of character with adjacent properties.

ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SCHOOLS, PARKS, POLICE AND FIRE PROTECTION, ROADS, SANITARY SEWERS, AND WATER LINES, OR ARE REASONABLY CAPABLE OF BEING PROVIDED PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IF THE AMENDMENT WERE ADOPTED:
1. City Engineering has indicated that Gertrude Avenue would need to be expanded to a 20-ft width in order to accommodate a more intensive residential rezoning at this location.