To be heard May 14, 2026Agenda Item No. 38

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Staff Recommendation

Approve PR (Planned Residential) up to 4 du/ac because it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, subject to 2 conditions:

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1. Existing healthy trees be retained within the 35-ft peripheral setback.
2. Pine Grove Road will be improved from the access point of a future development to Strawberry Plains Pike, as determined by Knox County Engineering and Public Works.

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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. The section of Pine Grove Road to the west of the subject property has remained very stable since the 1960s, featuring single family houses on large lots and agricultural uses. The subject property has been used as a horse farm since at least the early 2000s.
2. Two single-family subdivisions have been completed along Pine Grove Road to the east of the subject property since the 2010s, including the 73-unit Pine Grove subdivision (3.04 du/ac) completed in 2012 and the 27-unit Ambercrest subdivision (3.91 du/ac) completed in 2023 across the street from the subject property.
3. There has been an increase in commercial and office development near the intersection of Pine Grove Road and Strawberry Plains Pike since the mid-2000s.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE.
1. The PR (Planned Residential) zone is intended to provide optional methods of land development which encourage more imaginative solutions to environmental design problems. Each planned development shall be compatible with the surrounding or adjacent zones.
2. At the requested density of 9 du/ac, this property could have up to 65 dwelling units. This density would not be compatible with the A (Agricultural) zoning on all abutting parcels, and it is more intense than the zoning along this section of Pine Grove Road, which includes properties zoned A, RA (Low Density Residential), PR up 5 du/ac, and RN-1 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) in the City. A density of 4 du/ac could yield up to 29 dwelling units and would be compatible with the zoning and development pattern of surrounding and adjacent properties.
3. 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 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 PR density of 9 du/ac would be a visual outlier and out of character with the rural development pattern and agricultural uses in the area. While the recently completed subdivision across the street is zoned PR up to 5 du/ac (4-E-21-RZ), it was rezoned prior to the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, was developed at a density of 3.91 du/ac, and is the only PR zoning on Pine Grove Road. The recommended density of 4 du/ac reflects the density of the two subdivisions and smaller lots along Pine Grove Road.
2. The rear section of the subject property is forested with mature trees, which serve as a buffer from the agricultural uses on the abutting property to the southwest and the houses along Callie Oglesby Lane to the south. The recommended condition for this rezoning that existing healthy trees be retained within the 35-ft peripheral setback would preserve some of the property's rural character, provide privacy to neighboring property owners, and is consistent with the intent of the PR zone.
3. As previously mentioned, the 7.24 acre property could yield up to 65 dwelling units at the requested 9 du/ac and 29 dwelling units at the recommended 4 du/ac, which could produce an estimated addition of 679 and 323 vehicle trips per day, respectively. Access is only available via Pine Grove Road, an unstriped local street with a pavement width that varies from 15 to 17 feet along the subject property. Per the recommendation of Knox County Engineering and Public Works, any development on the property at a higher density than what is currently permitted under it's a zoning would require widening Pine Grove Road from the development entrance to its intersection with Strawberry Plains Pike to the east. The recommended condition to improve Pine Grove Road in accordance with requirements of Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the development plan review phase would address transportation capacity concerns commensurate with future residential development.
4. Development under the PR zone is evaluated by the Planning Commission for consistency with zoning intent, the Comprehensive Plan, and the Growth Policy Plan. This review process provides public notice and a forum for community response to future proposed development to address concerns about potential adverse impact to surrounding properties.

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 PR zone at the requested density of 9 du/ac and the recommended 4 du/ac is partially related to the subject property's SR (Suburban Residential) place type designation in the Comprehensive Plan. Per Appendix H of the Comprehensive Plan, partially related zones must meet additional criteria to be approved. The recommended PR up to 4 du/ac zoning with the recommended conditions and required development plan review by the Planning Commission is compatible with the current zoning of adjacent sites.
2. The PR zone up to 4 du/ac, with the noted conditions to improve Pine Grove Road and to retain existing healthy trees within the 35-ft peripheral setback, is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan's Implementation Policies 2 and 9. Policy 2 is to ensure that development is consistent with existing community character, and Policy 9 is to coordinate infrastructure improvement with development.
3. The subject property is within the Urban Growth Boundary of the Growth Policy Plan, which aims to encourage a reasonably compact pattern of development, promote expansion of the Knoxville-Knox County economy, and offer a wide range of housing choices. The proposed rezoning aligns with the intent of the Urban Growth Boundary.