To be heard July 9, 2026Agenda Item No. 13

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Staff Recommendation

APPROVE the request for a neighborhood nonresidential reuse (office), subject to 3 conditions.

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1. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance, including, but not limited to, Article 11 (Parking) and Article 12 (Landscape).
2. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Plans Review and Inspections.
3. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Engineering.

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Although new office structures are not permitted in the RN-2 district, a nonresidential reuse of a structure originally constructed for a nonresidential use within a residential neighborhood can be approved via special use review, subject to the Principal Use Standards for Neighborhood Nonresidential Reuse (Article 9.3.V).

This request is for the reuse of a commercial space in an RN-6 (Multi-Family Residential Neighborhood) district as an office use. The submitted operations summary details that no physical alterations will be made to the site, with currrent access and parking being maintained, and shows that the business operating out of the site will be administrative in nature and will not be injurious to adjacent properties. The subject site is within an extension of the larger RN-6 district to the south, which encompasses a large apartment complex. While the distict's frontage on Mineral Springs Avenue is severely limited and located amongst the O (Office) and C-G-2 (General Commercial) districts.


STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING A SPECIAL USE (ARTICLE 16.2.F.2)

THE USE IS CONSISTENT WITH ADOPTED PLANS AND POLICES, INCLUDING THE GENERAL PLAN AND THE ONE-YEAR PLAN.
1. The One Year Plan and East City Sector Plan designate this property with the HDR (High Density Residential) future land use classification. The HDR classification is intended to be comprised of medium- and high-rise multi-family developments with proximity to major roads and commercial centers. HDR allows for residential zone districts which permit consideration of interspersed commercial uses.
2. The proposed reuse is aligned with the intent of the City's General Plan Development Policies 1.2, which ensures that infrastructure support economic growth, and 8.2, 8.10, and 9.11 which support the reuse of vacant properties within the city.

THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
1. The RN-6 district is intended to accommodate high density neighborhoods characterized by a mixture of housing types and limited nonresidential uses that are compatible with the character of the district. The zone permits neighborhood nonresidential reuses contingent on special use approval.
2. The proposed use is consistent with the Principal Use Standards of article 9.3.V. and must operate within the regulations outlined by that article. The submitted operations summary confirms that these regulations are being met.

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.
1. The existing structure has operated as an office building since at least the early 1980s. The proposed use would not change the physical layout of the lot, and operations would occur entirely within the structure.
2. The southern side of Mineral Springs Avenue between Walker Boulevard and Whittle Springs Road consists entirely of office and commercial uses. The continuance of an office use at the subject site amongst these properties would be compatible and continuous with surrounding uses.

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.
1. The proposed use of an administrative office is not anticipated to be injurious to the surrounding area in any way. The submitted operations plan details an acceptable level of activity which is consistent with the long-standing office use which has occupied this site.

THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
1. Mineral Springs Avenue at the subject site and Whittle Springs Road just east of the lot are identified as minor arterial roadways. Traffic to the site will travel these as well as Walker Boulevard and N Broadway, a minor collector road and a major arterial roadway, respectively. No local streets provide access to the site.

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.
1. This structure has long been used as an office space for a commercial venture. The surrounding area is occupied by comparable office and commercial uses which would not have a negative impact on the proposed use.
2. The RN-6 district in which the use is proposed, is a small extension of a larger area of that zone located just south of the subject site. Within the bounds of that district is a residential apartment complex which would not be injurious to the proposed use.