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

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the NC (Neighborhood Commercial) land use classification because it would be an encroachment of a commercial land use classification in a residential area and does not meet the location criteria for the NC land use classification.

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PURSUANT TO THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE ONE YEAR PLAN, CHAPTER 1, PLAN AMENDMENT, ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA MUST BE MET FOR ALL ONE YEAR PLAN AMENDMENTS (may meet any of these):

AN ERROR IN THE PLAN:
1. The current MDR (Medium Density Residential) land use classification is not an error in the One Year Plan and reflects the property's current use as a duplex and the surrounding apartment developments with RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) and RN-5 (General Residential Neighborhood Zoning). This section of Sevier Avenue is predominantly residential, so more commercial zoning at this site would be an encroachment of commercial zoning into a residential area.

A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERN, OR THE COMPLETION OF A PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT (ROAD, PARK, SEWER), WHICH CHANGES THE BASIS ON WHICH THE PLAN WAS DEVELOPED FOR AN AREA:
1. The Sevier Avenue Roadway Project is underway northwest of the subject property near the waterfront. This project will add a roundabout at Sevier Avenue and Island Home Avenue intersection and new ADA-compliant sidewalks, streetlights, and traffic signals. However, this project is on a different section of Sevier Avenue that is more commercial in nature that has a different character than the section of Sevier Avenue where the subject property is located.
2. This section of Sevier Avenue is included in the annual resurfacing program and in the Sevier Avenue Utility and Conduit Project, which will relocate all overhead utilities to underground conduits and duct banks, but that project has not yet begun. These significant infrastructure improvements, though notable, do not necessarily make nonresidential development at this location more feasible.
2. There has been an increase in commercial and mixed-used development focused along Sevier Avenue to the northwest of the subject property, and the Sevier Avenue Roadway Project supports these development trends along the section of the corridor bounded by its intersection with Anita Drive. However, the subject property is within the Old Sevier neighborhood to the south of the corridor, which has seen an increase in residential development, including a 15-unit townhouse development within 250 feet to the north that was completed in 2026.

CHANGE IN PUBLIC POLICY, UNANTICIPATED BY THE PLAN:
1. There has been no change in government policy that warrants a land use change to the NC (Neighborhood Commercial) land use classification at this location.

NEW INFORMATION (INCLUDING NEW PLANS AND STUDIES PRODUCED BY KNOXVILLE-KNOX COUNTY PLANNING) BECOMING AVAILABLE, WHICH REVEALS THE NEED FOR A PLAN AMENDMENT:
1. There have not been any new plans or studies produced that have revealed the need for a plan amendment at this location.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
1. The subject property does not meet all of the location criteria for the NC land use classification, as there is existing commercial development at nodes within 600 feet to the north and south. The location criteria for this land use states that new NC should not be zoned for or developed within a half-mile of existing commercial development that features sales of day-to-day goods and services.