To be heard July 10, 2025Agenda Item No. 14

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the RN-1 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) zoning district because it is consistent with the One Year Plan and Southwest County Sector Plan. The HP (Hillside Protection) Overlay would be retained.

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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. Development trends in the surrounding area have featured a mix of uses. Commercial and office uses have been concentrated along Kingston Pike and the I-40 interchange, whereas residential development has been focused south of Kingston Pike.
2. Since the mid-1980s, there has been a gradual transition from A (Agricultural) zoning to residential, office, and commercial zoning. Office and commercial zoning such as C-G-1 (General Commercial), O (Office), and OP (Office Park) in the City and PC (Planned Commercial), CA (General Business), and OB (Office, Medical, and Related Services) in the County, have been concentrated along Kingston Pike and the I-40 interchange. Residential zoning has included RN-1 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) and RN-3 (General Residential Neighborhood) in the City and RB (General Residential), RA (Low Density Residential), and PR (Planned Residential) with up to 3.2 to up to 14 du/ac in the County.
3. In 2020, an attached and detached residential subdivision was completed 0.21 miles south of the subject property along Pipkin Lane.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THIS CODE.
1. The RN-1 zoning district is intended to accommodate traditional low density residential neighborhoods in the City of Knoxville, exhibiting a predominant development pattern of single-family homes on relatively large lots and with generous setbacks. The RN-1 zoning district is compatible with the neighboring residential zoning, which includes properties zoned RN-1 and RN-3 in the City and PR with up to 5 du/ac in the County.
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-1 district permits single-family and two-family development and limited nonresidential uses compatible with a residential environment.

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 proposed rezoning is not anticipated to negatively impact the surrounding area, which is largely residential.
2. The subject property is located within the HP (Hillside Protection) overlay district and has relatively steep slopes that range from 15% to over 40% (see Exhibit B). Any proposed development plans must comply with the applicable regulations outlined in Section 8.9 of the City of Knoxville's Zoning Ordinance.

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 subject property is designated LDR (Low Density Residential) in the City's One Year Plan and Southwest County Sector Plan. The RN-1 zoning district is permitted in the LDR land use class.
2. The recommended rezoning complies with the General Plan's Development Policy 9.3, to ensure that the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, does not impact existing neighborhoods and communities. The RN-1 zoning district permits housing types and lot sizes similar in scale to the surrounding residential developments.

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. The subject property is not served by a public sanitary sewer system, but sanitary sewer could likely be extended to it. If the property remains on a septic system, any proposed residential lots must be a minimum of 20,000 sq ft in lot area.
2. The subject property is located just south of the Kingston Pike corridor, which features an array of retail, service-oriented, and civic amenities.