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

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the CA (General Business) zone because it is not consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan.

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PURSUANT TO THE KNOX COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE, ARTICLE 6.30.01, THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET FOR ALL REZONINGS (must meet all of these):

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE NECESSARY BECAUSE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED OR CHANGING CONDITIONS IN THE AREA AND ZONES AFFECTED, OR IN THE COUNTY GENERALLY.
1. Since the early 1980s, the surrounding area has experienced a gradual transition away from A (Agricultural) zoning. Rezonings to commercial, industrial, and office zones have been concentrated near the Strawberry Plains Pike and I-40 interchange, while RA (Low-Density Residential) and PR (Planned Residential) with up to 5 to 8 du/ac rezonings have been focused to the northeast along Strawberry Plains Pike.
2. There has been a significant increase in residential development in the area since 2021. The Hunters Woods 39-lot single-family subdivision and the Universal at Strawberry Plains, a 349-unit housing development featuring apartment and townhouse dwellings, are both under construction approximately 0.25 miles west of the subject property.
3. Nonresidential development has included a mix of service-oriented establishments, trucking and warehousing, lodging establishments, and medical and dental clinics, primarily concentrated near existing commercial nodes. A new indoor pickleball facility was opened across the street from the subject property in November 2024, and a small multi-tenant commercial building was constructed on the portion of the subject property already zoned CA (General Business).

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE.
1. The CA zone is intended for general retail business and services.
2. Rezonings should be based on the entire range of uses allowed within a zone to ensure that any development brought forth at a future time would be compatible with the surrounding land uses. The CA zone would be compatible with the node of CA zoning at the intersection of Strawberry Plains Pike and S Wooddale Road.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE COUNTY NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AN AMENDMENT.
1. The proposed rezoning is not anticipated to negatively impact the surrounding area.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF KNOX COUNTY, INCLUDING ANY OF ITS ELEMENTS, MAJOR ROAD PLAN, LAND USE PLAN, COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN, AND OTHERS.
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.
2. The requested CA zone is not permitted in the RC (Rural Conservation) and SR (Suburban Residential) place types, and a plan amendment is not recommended to accommodate this request.
3. The subject property is within the Urban Growth Boundary of the Growth Policy Plan, which encourages a reasonably compact pattern of development and promotes the expansion of the Knox County economy. The proposed rezoning does not conflict with the intent of the Urban Growth Boundary.