Disposition Summary

Approve the master sign plan for Dolly Parton Children's Hospital as submitted, subject to 4 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the master sign plan for Dolly Parton Children's Hospital as submitted, subject to 4 conditions.

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1) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance, Article 13.5 (General Sign Standards).
2) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Engineering Department.
3) Providing detailed site plans for all detached signs during the permitting phase.
4) All proposed sign sizes presented in the master sign plan can be administratively increased up to 10 percent without requiring an update to the master sign plan per Article 13.7.G (Administrative Changes) of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.

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This request is for a master sign plan for the Dolly Parton Children's Hospital as part of its transition and rebranding from the former East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Master sign plans are permitted by special use approval per Article 13.7 (Master Sign Plans for Unified Developments). This application includes six parcels owned by the hospital. Except for four new wall signs on the one-story structure at parcel 108CB031 (denoted as locations 23-26 on the plan), all proposed signs are replacements for existing signs from the former East Tennessee Children's Hospital and are comparable in size and illumination type. Some of the existing signs will remain unchanged, which are noted on page 18 of the plan.

The four new wall signs at locations 23 - 26 exceed the INST district's maximum allowed combined attached sign area of 5% of the wall area of the primary building elevations (proposed: 170 sq ft, allowed: approximately 75 sq ft). However, these non-illuminated signs are the only proposed signs for that parcel and are scaled proportionally to the walls they are intended for. A comparative analysis of the maximum size, height, and number of signs allowed under the base zoning districts and those requested under the master sign plan is not provided for the remaining signs, as they replace previously approved similar signs. The applicant intends to install additional signs for this project, which will require future master sign plan approval.

STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING A SPECIAL USE (ARTICLE 16.2.F.2.)

1) THE USE IS CONSISTENT WITH ADOPTED PLANS AND POLICES, INCLUDING THE GENERAL PLAN AND THE ONE-YEAR PLAN.
a. The signage plan is consistent with the General Plan's Development Policy 4.4, which encourages the use of landscaping, signage, and architecture to identify significant entrances to communities, neighborhoods, and business districts.
b. The One Year Plan and the Central City Sector Plan designate the MU-SD MU-CC22 (Mixed Use Special District, Fort Sanders Medical District) and MU-UC (Mixed Use Urban Corridor) classifications for these parcels. The Mixed Use Special District intends to address the long-term needs of the large medical facilities located in Fort Sanders, which contribute to the health and well-being of the greater community. The proposed master sign plan meets the intent by providing necessary directional signage around the hospital campus.
c. The two parcels south of White Avenue were included in the Cumberland Avenue Corridor Plan (2007), which recommends the scale of signage to be designed with pedestrians in mind (p. 6-1 of the plan). The Fort Sanders Neighborhood Plan (2000) generally encourages a pedestrian-friendly environment. The proposed monument signs are consistent with these recommendations.

THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
a. The INST district, the zoning district for the four parcels north of White Avenue, is intended to accommodate federal, state, county, and municipal governmental operations (with the exception of those operations that are industrial in nature), and campus institutional uses such as healthcare institutions and educational facilities, to allow for their expansion in a manner that protects surrounding neighborhoods.
b. The CU-3 district, applicable to the two subject parcels south of White Avenue, serves as a transition between Cumberland Avenue and the medical campus and is primarily intended to accommodate a mix of medical- or employment-related uses with a variety of residential housing options.
c. The purpose of a master sign plan is to provide flexibility and incentives for coordinated, well-designed sign systems for shopping centers, commercial subdivisions, office parks, institutional district developments, and other large-scale commercial and mixed-use developments, promoting the use of signs that are aesthetically pleasing, of appropriate scale, and integrated with surrounding buildings and landscape (Article 13.7.A).
d. The proposed master sign plan meets the intent of the INST and CU-3 districts and the general purpose for master sign plans because it applies to a healthcare institutional use and is appropriately scaled for the area and integrated with the surrounding buildings and landscape.
E. The signs shall comply with all applicable general sign standards (Article 13.5), including minimum setbacks, illumination standards, and landscape requirements for detached signs. Detailed site plans for all detached signs shall be submitted during the permitting phase, as recommended in condition 3.

THE USE IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE IT IS PROPOSED, AND WITH THE SIZE AND LOCATION OF BUILDINGS IN THE VICINITY.
A. The proposed signs are of similar size to the current signs on the campus, but will have a new design. The signage is appropriate for the scale of the facility and comparable to the nearby signs for Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

4) THE USE WILL NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INJURE THE VALUE OF ADJACENT PROPERTY OR BY NOISE, LIGHTS, FUMES, ODORS, VIBRATION, TRAFFIC, CONGESTION, OR OTHER IMPACTS DETRACT FROM THE IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT.
A. No adverse effects are anticipated with the proposed master sign plan. As mentioned above, all signs are subject to the general illumination standards of Article 13.5.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. Approval of the master sign plan will not draw additional traffic through residential streets. On the contrary, it should help reduce the number of vehicles circulating the streets looking for a specific building on the campus.

6) THE NATURE OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE SURROUNDING AREA IS NOT SUCH AS TO POSE A POTENTIAL HAZARD TO THE PROPOSED USE OR TO CREATE AN UNDESIRABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PROPOSED USE.
A. The uses immediately surrounding the subject property will not pose a potential hazard or undesirable environment.