Disposition Summary

Approve the OB (Office, Medical, and Related Services) zone in the CMU (Corridor Mixed-Use) place type and PR (Planned Residential) with up to 9 du/ac in the SR (Suburban Residential) place type because it is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan, subject to 3 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the OB (Office, Medical, and Related Services) zone in the CMU (Corridor Mixed-Use) place type and PR (Planned Residential) with up to 9 du/ac in the SR (Suburban Residential) place type because it is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan, subject to 3 conditions.

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1. Subdivision entrances and primary access must be from Schaad Road. Limited access to Ball Camp Pike may be permitted for fire and emergency services.
2. Must provide stub-outs to the adjacent properties within the CMU (Corridor Mixed-Use) Place Type.
3. Pedestrian access to Schaad Road for developments within the CMU place type must be provided.

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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 late 1980s, zoning in the surrounding area has gradually transitioned from A (Agricultural) and I (Industrial) zoning to residential zoning, such as RA (Low Density Residential) and PR (Planned Residential) with up to 3 to up to 8 du/ac.
2. Since 2024, two townhouse subdivisions have been approved within a quarter mile of the subject property along Ball Camp Pike (4-A-24-DP and 3-D-25-DP).
3. The subject property has frontage along the new Schaad Road extension, which includes multimodal amenities such as 4-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks, providing connectivity between Middlebrook Pike/Hardin Valley Road to the west and Western Avenue to the east. It also provides a multimodal connection to Ball Camp Elementary and Amherst Elementary Schools.
4. A quarter mile east of the subject property, the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works has a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) in its budget to widen Bakertown Road and realign the intersection of Bakertown Road and Ball Camp Pike.
5. A commercial node featuring various commercial amenities is also planned at the intersection of Schaad Road and Bakertown Road.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE.
1. The OB (Office, Medical, and Related Services) zone aims to provide areas for professional and business offices and related activities that require separate buildings and building groups surrounded by landscaped yards and open areas. The OB zone is appropriate to consider here, as it is intended to provide centralized, compact locations for business offices, clinics, medical, and dental offices near residential neighborhoods. The OB zone also allows multifamily developments with a density of up to 12 du/ac as a permissible use by right and a density of up to 24 du/ac as a use on review.
2. The PR zone is intended to provide optional methods of land development which encourage more imaginative solutions to environmental design problems. There are closed contours on the south side of the property, which could indicate the presence of a sinkhole unless a geotechnical survey is done to determine otherwise (Exhibit B). The PR zone is appropriate to consider here as it allows clustered development in optimal sections of the property.
3. The PR zone is also intended to ensure compatibility with surrounding or adjacent zones. The recommended density of 9 du/ac would allow for a gradual intensity in residential density as it could support townhouse development, which would be a transitional use from the more intensive uses currently allowed on the subject property and the residential developments in the area.

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 PR zone ensures that site plans undergo a public review process and obtain Planning Commission approval before construction begins. The plan will be reviewed to determine whether the proposed development is compatible with the surrounding community.
2. Nonresidential development in the OB zone portion of the property would require landscape buffering if adjacent to any properties zoned residential or developed for residential use. Additionally, the PR zone requires a 35-ft peripheral boundary for buildings on properties adjacent to non-residential zones.
3. The subject property's current industrial zoning permits intensive uses that may have heavy impacts and adverse effects on surrounding properties and are considered noncompatible with residential uses. The intent of the OB zone is to provide for an array of uses near residential neighborhoods and would permit uses that are more compatible with a residential environment.
4. Additionally, the recommended PR zoning with a density of 9 du/ac would create a transition in land use intensity between the OB zone to the north and less dense residential zoning to the south.
5. An active railroad track separates the subject property's access to Ball Camp Pike. Due to the suboptimal access to Ball Camp Pike, a condition requiring primary access and proposed subdivision entrances to be from Schaad Road is recommended.

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 subject property is designated as two different place types in the Knox County Comprehensive Plan. The approximately 4.59-acre portion of the property fronting Ball Camp Pike is designated SR (Suburban Residential), whereas the northern approximately 13.41-acre portion is designated CMU (Corridor Mixed-Use).
2. The PR zone is partially related to the SR place type. The SR place type allows consideration of PR with up to 12 du/ac and recommends housing mixes featuring single-family subdivisions with lots smaller than one acre and attached residential developments such as duplexes, multiplexes, and townhouses. Per Appendix H of the Comprehensive Plan, additional criteria must be met for partially related zones. The PR zone with up to 9 du/ac meets the first criterion, as the allowable uses and lot sizes align with the preferred land use mix of the SR place type.
3. The OB zone is directly related to the CMU place type, which recommends a land use mix of office, commercial, multifamily, and attached residential developments. The recommended housing mix consists of multifamily and attached residential developments such as duplexes, multiplexes, and townhouses. The uses and housing types allowed in the OB zone support the intent of the CMU place type.
4. The description of the CMU place type describes moderate-scale walkable mixed-use development along major corridors as appropriate and requires that connectivity be provided to nearby neighborhoods. The second and third recommended conditions support the intent of the CMU place type and comply with Implementation Policy 4.2, to require pedestrian and vehicular connectivity with development and Implementation Policy 11, to promote connectivity with new development.
5. The recommended rezoning also supports Implementation Policy 9, to coordinate infrastructure improvements with development, and Implementation Policy 5, to create neighborhoods with a variety of housing types and amenities nearby. As mentioned, the subject property is a quarter-mile west of the planned commercial node at Bakertown Road and has access to multimodal amenities along the new Schaad Road. Furthermore, the OB zone on the CMU portion of the subject property would allow a wide range of office uses and housing types in an area that has experienced significant infrastructure improvements.
6. The subject property is within the Planned Growth Area of the Growth Policy Plan, which encourages a more compact form of development and promotes the expansion of the Knox County economy. The rezoning supports the intent of the Planned Growth Area.