To be heard July 10, 2025Agenda Item No. 13

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) zoning district because it is consistent with the recommended land use classification and supported by available amenities.

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PURSUANT TO THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE ZONING ORDINANCE, SECTION 16.1.E, ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET FOR ALL REZONINGS:

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT IS NECESSARY BECAUSE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED OR CHANGING CONDITIONS IN THE AREA AND DISTRICTS AFFECTED, OR IN THE CITY GENERALLY.
1. Since the early 1980s, development trends in the surrounding area have featured a mix of uses. Commercial and office development has been focused along nearby arterial streets like Clinton Highway to the west, Merchant Drive to the north, and Central Avenue Pike to the east. Development between these arterial streets has primarily been residential, consisting of single-family and multi-family developments.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THIS CODE.
1. The RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) zoning district is intended to accommodate mixed-medium-density residential development. The district is intended to apply to neighborhoods characterized by such mixed development or identified as areas where such development would be suitable in the future. The RN-4 district is appropriate to consider here, as the surrounding area features a mix of housing types, ranging from single-family and two-family dwellings to multi-family developments.
2. Rezonings should be based on the entire range of uses allowed within a zone to ensure that any development brought forth at a future time would be compatible with the surrounding land uses. The RN-4 district permits single-family, townhouse, and low-rise multi-family developments and limited nonresidential uses compatible with a residential character.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE CITY, NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AMENDMENT.
1. The RN-4 district requires special use approval for townhouse developments of nine dwelling units or more and multi-family developments of multiple structures of nine units or more. The special use process requires a public review process to ensure the proposed development is compatible with the character of the surrounding neighborhood.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE KNOXVILLE-KNOX COUNTY GENERAL PLAN AND ITS COMPONENT PARTS, INCLUDING ADOPTED SECTOR PLANS, CORRIDOR PLANS, AND RELATED DOCUMENTS.
1. The proposed rezoning would be consistent with the recommended MDR land use classification of the Northwest City Sector Plan and One Year Plan.
2. The rezoning is consistent with the General Plan's Development Policies 4.5, to avoid creating small, isolated pockets of residential development, and 8.1, to develop infill housing on vacant lots and redevelopment parcels.

WHETHER ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SCHOOLS, PARKS, POLICE AND FIRE PROTECTION, ROADS, SANITARY SEWERS, STORM SEWERS, AND WATER LINES, OR ARE REASONABLY CAPABLE OF BEING PROVIDED PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IF THE AMENDMENT WERE ADOPTED.
1. This is an urbanized area with ample utility infrastructure and public facilities to support more residential development at this location.
2. The Inskip-Norwood Community Center and Inskip Ball Fields are directly across from the subject property.