Disposition Summary

Staff recommends approval of an office warehouse of approximately 15,559 sq ft, subject to five conditions:

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Staff Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of an office warehouse of approximately 15,559 sq ft, subject to five conditions:

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1) Obtaining TTCDA approval of the development plans (Case 7-A-23-TOB).
2) Installation of all landscaping as shown on development plan within six months of the issuance of an occupancy permit, or posting a bond with the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works to guarantee such installation.
3) Meeting all applicable requirements of the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works.
4) Meeting all applicable requirements of the Knox County Zoning Ordinance.
5) Preservation of existing vegetation along shared lot lines with residential uses as identified on the site plans.
6) Obtaining TTCDA approval of signage in a separate application if signage is desired in the future.

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The applicant is requesting approval of an office warehouse on a 3.6-acre site zoned BP (Business and Technology Park) / TO (Technology Overlay). Office warehouses are allowed in the BP zone, but site plans require approval by the Planning Commission. Developments in the TO zone require approval by the TN Technology Corridor Development Authority (TTCDA), and this item is scheduled for the July 5, 2023 TTCDA meeting (Case 7-A-23-TOB).

The parcel is located at the western terminus of Corridor Park. It abuts a single family neighborhood on the north and an apartment complex that is under construction on the west. Access would be off the northwestern terminus of Corridor Park Boulevard, located one block northwest of Dutchtown Road, a minor arterial. Access meets the standards of the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works.

The proposed office warehouse has an area of approximately 15,559 sq ft, for which the TTCDA Guidelines require between 16 and 23 parking spaces. The applicant has requested a waiver to increase the maximum number of parking spaces to 30 spaces. Staff is in support of the waiver since the increase is minimal and the plans are otherwise in compliance with the Guidelines.

The proposed ground area coverage (GAC), Floor Area Ratio (FAR), and Impervious Area Ratio (IAR) are in compliance with the Design Guidelines.

Because the subject property abuts residential uses on the north and west, a Type A Dense landscape screen is required along those shared lot lines. To meet this standard, the site plans identify a 15-ft non disturbance area (the minimum required) on the western lot line, and a 30 ft non-disturbance area along the northern lot line (Planning had requested a minimum of 25 ft). The existing vegetation to be preserved is dense and will provide a visual buffer with a higher degree of separation than would be achieved with the plantings required by the Type A Landscape Screen.

The stormwater division within Knox County Engineering had no comments on the plans. A stormwater detention area is existing and deemed sufficient to serve the proposed development.

Building plans meet the TTCDA Guidelines. Long, unbroken facades are discouraged, as is use of metal siding, but the front façade is to be screened with tall, narrow trees in beds along the building foundation.

There is a loading dock area facing the street on the southwest corner of the site. There are trees planted at the entry to the site that will screen the view of the dock doors from the street. This portion of Corridor Park Boulevard is situated off from the main portion of the street as it takes a sharp right turn and extends for one parcel before reaching the southern property line of the subject property, further keeping the dock doors from view of traffic.

There is a second overhead garage door, but it is not designed as a loading dock door and would be for smaller vehicles than those using the loading dock. This door is on the northern end of the building further from the street but closer to the abutting single family detached residential subdivision. The potential impacts of this door should be mitigated by the additional landscape screen requested by staff on the northern lot line.

All components of the site plans, including the landscape plan and lighting plan, meet the requirements of the TTCDA Guidelines.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN ANALYSIS PER ARTICLE 6, SECTION 6.50.06 (APPROVAL OR DENIAL)
In the exercise of its administrative judgment, the Planning Commission shall determine if the proposed plan is in harmony with the general purpose and intent of the zoning ordinance and adopted plans.

1) ZONING ORDINANCE
A. The Knox County Zoning Ordinance describes the BP (Business and Technology Park) zone as intended to provide for a wide range of land uses generally categorized as business, industrial and/or office. The permitted land uses are intended to include those businesses which require building spaces characterized by offices, research and development, manufacturing, and/or combinations of such uses.
B. The proposed office warehouse development is compatible with the above uses specified for the BP zone.

2) GENERAL PLAN - DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
A. Policy 8.12 stipulates for commercial uses that abut residential property to provide some measure of separation by using an array of design elements to improve land use transitions, including landscape screening. The proposed development has a non-disturbance area retaining dense vegetation along shared lot lines with residential development.
B. Policy 11.6 provides for office developments abutting residential uses, citing higher standards for these developments. This policy provides several design options, most of which have been incorporated into the proposed design (building height, site coverage, parking areas, landscaping, and trash). The only suggested standard not met is for the development to be built in a residential architectural style, which is not practical for a building in this particular zone and land use classification. However, the development is visually screened from the abutting residential uses and should not be visible from these properties.

3) NORTHWEST COUNTY SECTOR PLAN
A. The property is classified as TP (Technology Park) on the Northwest County Sector Plan, which primarily includes offices and research and development facilities. The TP description states that the target area for such development has been the Pellissippi Technology Corridor.
B. The proposed office-warehouse use is consistent with the sector plan.

4) KNOXVILLE - FARRAGUT - KNOX COUNTY GROWTH POLICY PLAN
A. The property is within the Planned Growth Boundary. The purposes of the Planned Growth Boundary designation are to encourage a reasonably compact pattern of development, promote the expansion of the Knox County economy, offer a wide range of housing choices, and coordinate the actions of the public and private sectors, particularly with regard to the provision of adequate roads, utilities, schools, drainage and other public facilities and services. The proposed development is not in opposition to any of these criteria.

5) THE PLANNING COMMISSION MAY DENY A DEVELOPMENT PLAN WHERE THE ABOVE CANNOT BE SHOWN OR WHERE IT CAN BE SHOWN THAT APPROVAL WOULD HAVE AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN WHICH THE SITE IS LOCATED.
A. The proposed office warehouse is not expected to generate any adverse impacts on the surrounding area. It is similar to other uses along Corridor Park Boulevard and will provide a landscape screen to buffer the development from residential uses.