Disposition Summary

Approve the special use request for a parking lot of a place of worship as depicted on the site plan, subject to 4 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the special use request for a parking lot of a place of worship as depicted on the site plan, subject to 4 conditions.

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1. Meeting all applicable requirements of Article 12 (Landscape) and any requirements of the City of Knoxville Urban Forestry Division during permitting, and installing all landscaping for the church lot, as shown on the landscape plan. Tree species may be changed to meet the species diversity requirement (Article 12.4), but the number and general location of plants shall align with the proposed landscape plan. Additional plants may be required to meet the requirements of Parking Lot Perimeter Landscape Yard (Article 12.5), subject to review and approval by the Plans Review and Inspection Department during the permitting phase.
2. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
3. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Plans Review and Inspections.
4. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Engineering.

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As mentioned previously, the special use is only for the new parking lot of the church.

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. The General Plan's Development Policy 9.3 encourages ensuring that the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, does not impact existing neighborhoods and communities. The proposed parking lot is not expected to adversely impact any existing neighborhoods.
B. Although the property's MDR (Medium Density Residential) land use classification is primarily intended for residential uses, the parking lot does not conflict with the One Year Plan and East City Sector Plan.

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 development within the City of Knoxville that includes single-family, two-family, townhouse, and low-rise multi-family dwellings. A place of worship is allowed by special use approval.
B. The proposed parking lot meets the minimum and maximum parking requirements for a place of worship. The site plan notes that the new lot will conform to the maximum 60% impervious surface coverage requirement for nonresidential uses in the RN-4 district.
C. A parking lot perimeter landscape yard shall be provided in accordance with Article 12.5 and shall be reviewed by the City's Plans Review & Inspection Department during the permitting phase. Although the church is a nonresidential use in a residential district, no buffer yards are required under Article 12.8 because this application does not propose any new buildings.

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 church has operated at this location since the 1980s, with a parking lot in front of the structure visible from Pinehurst Drive. The proposed new location should have no compatibility issues with the proposed single-family attached subdivision or the greater Alice Bell / Springhill 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. The proposed use is not expected to have any significant adverse impacts on adjacent properties. The applicant is proposing landscape screens along the northern boundary, which abuts the proposed single-family attached dwelling on Lot 22, and along the eastern boundary, which abuts an existing house.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The proposed relocation of the parking lot, with a few additional parking spaces compared to the existing parking lot, could result in a minor increase in traffic on Pinehurst Drive and Shelbourne Road. However, the subject property has easy access to a minor arterial street (Washington Pike), so other residential streets will not be affected.

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 or environmental factors immediately surrounding the subject property that would pose a potential hazard or have an undesirable impact on the proposed use.