Staff Recommendation

Approve the amendments

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As part of the Downtown Design Overlay District one year update process for City Council, MPC staff and the Downtown Design Review Board have proposed multiple modifications/additions to the Downtown Knoxville Design Guidelines. One of the additions involves amending the D-1 zoning ordinance to require a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) for the demolition of buildings and building features. In conjunction, there will be an addition to the staff approval list: demolition of non-historic building features on publicly-oriented facades and demolition of historic building features to be replaced in-kind.

Currently demolitions are only addressed in the Historic Resources section of the guidelines and are not stated as D-1 ordinance as being required to have a COA before obtaining a permit. There has been instances when building features have been demolished (such as storefronts) before submitting for a Certificate of Appropriateness so there is no opportunity to assess the current conditions. The inclusion of demolitions in the D-1 ordinance is necessary to allow the Board the opportunity to review the removal to building features, especially in National Historic Districts. The review of the demolition of buildings and building features that are not in a National Historic District will be primarily to approve a post-demolition plan that is consistent with the Guidelines.

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Disposition Summary

Approve the amendments