Disposition Summary

Approve the request for a coffee shop in the CN (Neighborhood Commercial) district, subject to 2 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the request for a coffee shop in the CN (Neighborhood Commercial) district, subject to 2 conditions.

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1) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
2) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Engineering Department and Plans Review and Inspections Department.

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The proposal is to renovate the existing building to use as a coffee shop with a retail area for basic picnic supplies, packaged foods, and miscellaneous merchandise. The coffee shop, which includes 34 indoor seats and 12 outdoor seats, requires special use approval as an eating and drinking establishment in the C-N district.

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 General Plan's Development Policy 8.2 recommends locating neighborhood commercial uses in a way so that it will enhance, rather than hinder, the stability of residential areas. The property's location along a minor arterial street close to a multifamily development and Lakeshore Park is consistent with the policy.
B. The proposed use at this property is also consistent with the West City Sector Plan and One Year Plan's NC (Neighborhood Commercial) land use classification, which recommends day-to-day retail and service-oriented uses located within a walking or short driving distance of neighborhoods on properties generally less than 5 acres.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The C-N district is intended to provide for an environment of integrated residential development and small-scale commercial and service uses, predominantly serving nearby residential neighborhoods.
B. The proposed commercial use comprising approximately 1,498 sq ft at this location meets the district's intent.

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 use is compatible with the character of the Lyons View community which includes a mix of single-family and multifamily developments, offices, a cemetery, and a church. There is a nursing home on the abutting western parcel and a physical therapy office across the street.
B. The existing one-story structure is consistent with the size and scale of other structures in the surrounding area. The proposed renovation would mostly include interior alterations and exterior façade improvements.

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 coffee shop is a small-scale commercial use that would be compatible with other residential and nonresidential uses in the vicinity. The adjacent nursing home has a parking lot next to the subject parcel, keeping its housing facility further away from the proposed commercial use.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. A coffee shop with up to 46 seats at its maximum capacity is not expected to significantly impact traffic on surrounding streets. Traffic will be directed to Lyons View Pike, a minor arterial street.

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 immediately surrounding the subject property that would pose a potential hazard or undesirable environment for the proposed use. On the contrary, the property's location close to many multifamily structures and the Lakeshore Park should be beneficial for a coffee shop.