To be heard May 14, 2026Agenda Item No. 36

---

Staff Recommendation

Deny the CMU (Corridor Mixed-Use) plan amendment request for the portion of the property shown on the agenda map because the subject property does not meet the intent of the CMU place type. The (Hillside Protection Area) would be retained.

---

This rezoning request includes the western portion of parcel 062 05405, and the front portion of parcel 062 05402 on the eastern side of S Wooddale Road, to the CA (General Business) zone, which requires a plan amendment from the SR (Suburban Residential) and RC (Rural Conservation) place types. The plan amendment request is for the CMU place type on the front portion of parcel 062 05402 and the entirety of parcel 062 05405. The remaining approximately 12.5 acres of parcel 062 05402 would retain the RC place type and HP (Hillside Protection Area) designation.

PURSUANT TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, CHAPTER 3 IMPLEMENTATION, A PLAN AMENDMENT MAY BE APPROPRIATE IF THERE IS AN OBVIOUS OR SIGNIFICANT ERROR OR OMISSION IN THE PLAN, OR IF TWO OR MORE OF THE OTHER CRITERIA APPLY.

OBVIOUS OR SIGNIFICANT ERROR OR OMISSION IN THE PLAN:
1. The RC (Rural Conservation) place type is intended to conserve forested areas, ridges, wetlands, and other significant natural areas. In growth areas, corridors and pockets of rural conservation indicate places that may be subject to development similar to the adjacent place types, but where more compact and low-impact site design is expected. 0 Strawberry Plains Pike is a 13.88-acre parcel with steep slopes and mature forested growth, and the property at 7801 Strawberry Plains Pike has some slopes in the rear of the lots. As such, the RC place type designation is not the result of an error or omission in the Comprehensive Plan.
2. The property at 0 Strawberry Plains Pike is bifurcated by S Wooddale Road. There is a roughly 4,000 sq ft sliver of the parcel designated as SR (Suburban Residential) on the east side of S Wooddale Road that is part of a cohesive section of the SR place type on Strawberry Plains Pike and is not the result of an error in the Comprehensive Plan.

IF THERE ARE NO ERRORS OR OMISSIONS, TWO OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA MUST BE MET:
CHANGES OF CONDITIONS (SUCH AS SURROUNDING LAND USES, ZONING, UNCONTROLLED NATURAL FORCES/DISASTERS, ETC.):
1. Commercial development in the surrounding area has largely been concentrated near the I-40 Strawberry Plains Pike interchange to the west and Asheville Highway to the east, except for one pickle-ball facility that opened roughly 360 ft west of the subject property in November 2024, and a small multi-tenant commercial building established in February 2025 on the portion of the subject property zoned CA (General Business).
2. Development trends along Strawberry Plains Pike outside of the commercial nodes have primarily been residential in nature, consisting of single-family, townhouse, and multi-family developments.
3. The increased residential development and minor increase in commercial development, though notable, do not necessarily warrant a plan amendment to the CMU (Corridor Mixed-Use) place type at this location. The CMU place type is described as areas appropriate for moderate-scale walkable mixed-use development occurring along major corridors. The subject property is removed from the nearby established nodes of commercial and office development and is located along a section of Strawberry Plains Pike that has a primarily residential character.

INTRODUCTION OF SIGNIFICANT NEW UTILITIES OR LOCAL/STATE/FEDERAL ROAD PROJECTS THAT WERE NOT ANTICIPATED IN THE PLAN AND MAKE DEVELOPMENT MORE FEASIBLE:
1. There has not been an introduction of new utilities or roads in this area that would make development more feasible.

NEW DATA REGARDING TRENDS OR PROJECTIONS, POPULATION, HOUSING CONDITIONS, OR TRAFFIC GROWTH THAT WARRANT RECONSIDERATION OF THE ORIGINAL PLAN:
1. There is no new data specific to this request that warrants a land use amendment to the CMU place type.

THE PROPOSED CHANGES SUPPORT THE POLICIES AND ACTIONS, GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND CRITERIA OF THE PLAN:
1. The requested CMU place type is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan's Implementation Policy 9.3: Focus growth in areas already served by adequate infrastructure. The subject property has direct access to Strawberry Plains Pike, a minor arterial intended to support a more intense development pattern. However, this section of Strawberry Plains Pike is a two-lane road with a residential development pattern that lacks pedestrian facilities. The CMU place type recommends development with a walkable setting, wide sidewalks, and connectivity to nearby neighborhoods. As such, the subject property does not meet the intent of the CMU place type.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
1. The East County Community Plan identified Strawberry Plains Pike as a roadway suitable for a more intense development pattern. The subject property's location on Strawberry Plains Pike is within the development corridor buffer identified on the East Knox County Community Plan Area Map. The East County Community Plan encourages a transitional development pattern between rural areas and suburban development within development corridors, with neighborhood-scale mixed-use areas growing in tandem with infrastructure. However, as previously mentioned, this section of Strawberry Plains Pike is a two-lane road with a residential development pattern. There has not been an introduction of new utilities or roads in this area that would make commercial and mixed-use development more feasible at this location.