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Staff Recommendation

Approve the request for a parking lot as depicted on the site plan, subject to 6 conditions.

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1. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance, including, but not limited to, Article 12 (Landscape).
2. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Urban Forestry Division.
3. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Plans Review and Inspections.
4. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Engineering.
5. Meeting all applicable requirements of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).
6. Removing the existing abandoned sign from the property.

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This request is for a standalone parking lot at the corner of Chapman Highway and Taliwa Court, intended to provide additional parking for the adjacent funeral home. The funeral home has been using the rear portion of the subject parcel for an additional access and parking area for over 50 years. A one-story commercial structure on the parcel was demolished last year after being vacant for almost 10 years. The applicant wants to reconfigure the parcel for a total of 34 parking spaces.

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 MU-SD, SC-4 (Mixed Use Special District, Chapman Highway District - Downtown to Martin Mill Pike) land use classification of the South City Sector Plan and the One Year Plan recommends higher intensity mixed-use development along this corridor. A stand-alone parking lot is generally not desirable in this corridor; however, the parcel has been vacant and has served as a parking area for the adjacent funeral home for many years, as described above.
B. The request to reconfigure and continue using this parcel as a parking area is consistent the the General Plan's Development Policy 9.3, to ensure the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, does not impact existing neighborhoods and communities.
C. Per TDOT and City Engineering requirements, the proposal removes the existing access to Chapman Highway, consolidates the two existing access points on Taliwa Court into one, and replaces the unnecessary pavement area along Taliwa Court with a landscape buffer. These will improve pedestrian safety and are consistent with the General Plan's Development Policy 2.13, which encourages ensuring that pedestrian needs are met and that the continuity of the sidewalk network is achieved.
D. The Chapman Highway Corridor Study (2006) recommends that new landscaping should be provided with each development, including street trees and landscaped front yards to provide shade and visual relief (p.40). A perimeter landscape yard will be provided along Chapman Highway and Taliwa Court to screen the parking lot and enhance the pedestrian-scale environment.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The C-G-2 district is intended to provide for a heterogeneous mix of retail, personal service, office, and residential uses within and along Knoxville's commercial nodes and corridors. A standalone parking area requires special use approval.
B. A perimeter landscape yard (Article 12.5), interior parking lot landscape (Article 12.6) , and buffer yard (Article 12.8) shall be provided to comply with the requirements of the zoning ordinance, subject to review and approval by the City's Urban Forestry Division during the permitting phase.

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 Chapman Highway corridor between W Martin Mill Pike and E Moody Avenue is primarily characterized by office and commercial uses, with parking lots facing the street, and several vacant lots. The proposed use is consistent with the area and the parcel's longstanding use.

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 proposed use is not expected to have any significant adverse impacts on adjacent properties. A Class B buffer yard shall be installed along the eastern side to provide a visual screen for the adjacent multifamily development. Existing healthy vegetation may count towards this requirement.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The proposed use is not expected to draw substantial additional traffic through any residential streets. Vehicles coming from Chapman Highway can use the boulevard section of Taliwa Court to turn left without using the residential segment of the street. There are multiple other available access points to the funeral home. As described above, the proposed access redesign and landscaping will improve pedestrian safety.

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 or environmental factors immediately surrounding the subject property that would pose a potential hazard or have an undesirable impact on the proposed use.