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Staff Recommendation

Approve the PR (Planned Residential) zone up to 5 du/ac because it is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and the surrounding area, subject to one condition.

1. At least 50% of the subject parcel shall be left as undisturbed natural area, per the RC (Rural Conservation) place type.

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PURSUANT TO THE KNOX COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE, ARTICLE 6.30.01, THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET FOR ALL REZONINGS (must meet all of these):

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE NECESSARY BECAUSE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED OR CHANGING CONDITIONS IN THE AREA AND DISTRICTS AFFECTED, OR IN THE CITY/COUNTY GENERALLY:
1. Changes in conditions in the area include the opening of, Carter Elementary School in 2013 0.25 miles to the east.
2. Since 2006, surrounding properties have been transitioning from the A zone to the RA and PR zone with densities ranging from 2-5 du/ac. The surrounding subdivisions are single family residential and townhomes.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The PR zone is intended to provide flexibility for different types of residential development and encourage more imaginative solutions to environmental design problems. Two blue line streams are shown on the USGS quad map and the property is within the Hillside Protection area, making the PR zone an appropriate zone to consider since it allows the clustering of lots.
2. Houses, duplexes, multi-dwelling structures and developments are permitted in the PR zone, and these uses are compatible with the surrounding area.
3. 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.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE COUNTY, NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AMENDMENT:
1. The property has access to Strawberry Plains Pike, a minor arterial road, so no additional traffic will be added through neighborhoods.
3. The plat from 2024 shows 2 blue line streams and a TVA easement running through the property. A stream buffer is required along blue line streams, but this will be resolved during permitting. No structures are allowed within the TVA easement, but a road may be built under the TVA power lines.
4. The slope analysis shows 2.18 acres are within the HP area and recommends a maximum land disturbance of 1.1 acres of this 13.62-acre property.
2. This parcel is in the School Parental Responsibility Zones of Carter Elementary School. Sidewalks may be required along the front of the property along Strawberry Plains Pike.
5. A historic cemetery is located on the adjacent property next door. High-visibility fencing will be required during permitting to ensure there is no disturbance of the property.
6. PR zoning requires that development plans be submitted for Planning Commission review. At that time, issues such as topography, surrounding character, and access are evaluated, and community input may be provided regarding the proposed development plan.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE GENERAL PLAN OF KNOXVILLE AND KNOX COUNTY, INCLUDING ANY OF ITS ELEMENTS, MAJOR ROAD PLAN, LAND USE PLAN, COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN, AND OTHERS:
1. The property is within the RC (Rural Conservation) place type and HP (Hillside Protection) area on the Future Land Use Map. The PR zone is listed as an indirectly related area to the RC place type. When the district is partially related to the place type, one of three conditions shall apply. One of these is that the proposed zoning district is consistent with the secondary uses of the subject site's place type. Attached residential dwellings in a conservation pattern are secondary uses in the RC place type and this is consistent with the uses and development pattern of the PR zone.
2. Rural Conservation areas are intended to conserve forested areas, ridges, wetlands, and other significant natural areas by clustering development and minimizing land disturbance and require single family subdivisions to be clustered in a pattern that preserves 50% of more open space on a given site. This place type also specifies that, these areas generally conserve between 50-70 percent of a site as natural open space. There is a condition added to ensure that at least 50% of the property will be left undisturbed.
3. The East County Community Plan identifies Strawberry Plains Pike as a development corridor intended for more intense development, and the Asheville Highway, Strawberry Plains Pike, and Andrew Johnson Highway intersection as a rural crossroads potential development site (Exhibit B).
4. The proposed rezoning is consistent with Knox County Comprehensive Plan Implementation Policy 5, which creates neighborhoods with a variety of housing types and amenities in close proximity. The PR zone provides flexibility for different types of residential development and is approximately a quarter mile from the Carter Elementary school and 1 mile from the crossroads of Asheville Highway, Strawberry Plains Pike, and Andrew Johnson Highway.
5. 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. This development is in alignment with these goals.