Disposition Summary

Approve the master sign plan for Covenant Health West office park as proposed, subject to 3 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the master sign plan for Covenant Health West office park as proposed, subject to 3 conditions.

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1. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
2. All proposed sign sizes, as presented in the master sign plan, can be administratively increased up to 10 percent without requiring an update to the master sign plan per Article 13.7.G (Administrative Changes) of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
3. Signs located in Knox County, outside of the City of Knoxville, are required to meet the sign standards of the Knox County zoning ordinance. If there is a conflict with the standards proposed in the master sign plan, the Knox County zoning regulations apply.

With the conditions noted, the proposal meets the requirements for approval in the OP zoning district, master sign plans for unified developments (Article 13.7), and the criteria for approval of a special use.

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Covenant Health is updating the signage within the medical office park. The entrance driveway and a portion of the first property on the west side of the entrance road (parcel 131NC018) are in the City of Knoxville, while the rest of the medical office park is in Knox County.

The purpose of this master sign plan, other than modernizing the signage package for the medical office park, is to replace the existing campus monument sign at the Kingston Pike entrance, which is in the City of Knoxville, with one that includes space for two tenants that at not on the same lot as the sign, which is called a development directory sign and is only allowed with a master sign plan approval. While the tenants may be located outside the City limits, the intent of allowing a development directory sign for a unified development is maintained. Only businesses within the Covenant Health West campus can be on the development directory sign.

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 Covenant Health West campus is designated O (Office) in the Southwest County Sector Plan and One Year Plan.
B. The O land use is intended for low intensity business and professional offices with access to major collector and arterial streets.
C. The proposed master sign plan meets the intent of this district by addressing the long-term needs of the medical office park by providing necessary directional signage around the campus.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The OP (Office Park) zoning district is intended to accommodate large office developments and office parks/campuses. The district is oriented toward larger-scale complexes that may include accessory services for employees such as personal services, restaurants, and retail establishments. District standards are intended to guide the development of office as a more campus-like environment.
B. The purpose of the master sign plan provisions is to provide flexibility and incentives for coordinated, well designed sign systems for shopping centers, commercial subdivisions, office parks, institutional district developments, and other large scale commercial and mixed-use developments, a master signage plan is required for certain signs identified within this section. A master sign plan will promote the use of signs which are aesthetically pleasing, of appropriate scale, and integrated with surrounding buildings and landscape, in order to meet the community's expressed desire for quality development consistent with the property's land use designation.
C. The proposed master sign plan meets the intent of the OP zoning district and the general purpose for master sign plans because it is appropriately scaled for the area and integrated with the surrounding buildings and landscape.

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 proposed signs are of similar size to the current signs on the campus but will have a new design. The new development directory sign meets the requirements of Section 13.9 for detached signs in a commercial and industrial district, per Article 13, Section 13.7.E.1. of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.

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 installation of the proposed signage should not significantly impact adjacent property.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The proposed signage will not draw additional traffic through residential streets.

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 in the area that could be a potential hazard or create an undesirable environment for the proposed uses within the development.