Approve PR (Planned Residential) up to 3 du/ac because it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and due to changing conditions in the area, with one condition: Triplett Lane shall serve as access only to the existing residence on the property.

Disposition Summary

Approve PR (Planned Residential) up to 3 du/ac because it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and due to changing conditions in the area, with one condition: Triplett Lane shall serve as access only to the existing residence on the property.

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Details of Action

Approve PR (Planned Residential) up to 3 du/ac because it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and due to changing conditions in the area, with one condition: Triplett Lane shall serve as access only to the existing residence on the property.

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the PR (Planned Residential) zone up to 5 du/ac because it is incompatible with site constraints and inconsistent with the 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 DISTRICTS AFFECTED, OR IN THE CITY/COUNTY GENERALLY:
1. There has been recent residential development in the area with the Foxborough Hills subdivision to the west and four new single-family lots next to the subject property's eastern access point on George Williams Road. However, these changing conditions do not necessitate a residential rezoning on the subject property, which has vastly different transportation impact considerations. The Foxborough Hills subdivision doesn't access George Williams Road, it has access on Fox Road near the Kingston Pike commercial corridor and a highway on-ramp. Similarly, the impact of the four new single-family lots that do access George Williams Road is incomparable to the scale and impact of this 48.24-acre residential rezoning on the same major collector street.
2. The subject property has three access points, and all of them are challenged with traffic capacity, topography or sight distance constraints that do not support a residential rezoning on a property of this size. The property has flag-lot access to Triplett Lane, which overlaps and parallels an existing private right-of-way to the subject property and neighboring properties. The flag stem access is approximately 25 ft wide, and it connects to Triplett Lane, which is a narrow, unstriped residential street. The other two access points on the subject property lead to George Williams Road to the south. The western access is marked by steep topography that would require extensive clearing and grading of mature forest. The eastern access point is located where there is limited sight distance to the east from both a horizontal and vertical perspective. These access conditions do not support a rezoning from the A (Agricultural) zone to the (Planned Residential) zone up to 5 du/ac, which could yield up to 241 dwellings with an average daily traffic impact of 2,267 vehicular trips.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The intent of the PR zone is to provide optional methods of development which encourage more imaginative solutions to environmental design problems. There is a strong emphasis in the purpose statement of the PR zone that development should be compatible with what surrounds it.
2. The subject property has historically operated as Scenic View Farm, a family-owned farm established in 1980 that raises and shows horses. The property that is not dedicated to horses and farm residences is comprised of mature, undisturbed forest on steep slopes. These existing conditions and the property's accessibility are more consistent with the existing A zone than the requested PR zone up to 5 du/ac.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE COUNTY, NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AMENDMENT:
1. The potential development of 241 dwellings on this property could have injurious impacts on surrounding properties and through traffic. Triplett Lane, and the property's access to that local street, were not designed for significant increases in daily traffic. The property's access to George Williams Road is constrained by steep topography exceeding a 40 percent slope on the western point, and poor sight distance at the eastern point. A significant increase in residential units at either of these access points could result in dangerous impacts to traffic and/or a scale of grading and clearing that is incompatible with the wooded residential character of this corridor.

THE 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 place type designation for this property in the Knox County Comprehensive Plan is RC (Rural Conservation), which is intended to conserve forested areas, ridges, wetlands, and other significant natural areas by clustering development and minimizing land disturbance. Generally, these areas conserve between 50-70 percent of a site as natural open space. The maximum PR density that can be considered in the RC place type is the requested 5 du/ac.
2. The western access point on George Williams Road would require extensive deforestation and grading to access the road through that steep slope. This is not consistent with the intent of the RC place type. Since that point is the safest access from a sight distance and traffic capacity perspective, a residential rezoning of this property, especially at the density bring requested, is incompatible with the intent of the RC place type.
3. This rezoning would also conflict with several Comprehensive Plan Implementation Policies, include Policy 2, to ensure that development is sensitive to existing community character and Policy 2.3, to provide protections for ridges, views and open spaces. Rezoning this property to enable the development of over 240 units is incompatible with surrounding infrastructure, community character, and preservation of natural assets on this property. This rezoning is also incompatible with Policy 7, to encourage development practices that conserve and connect natural features and habitat.
4. The subject property is in the Planned Growth Area of the Growth Policy Plan, which encourages a reasonably compact pattern of development in coordination with the provision of adequate roads, drainage, and other infrastructure services. The subject property does not have adequate road access to make such a significant increase in residential density reasonable.