Disposition Summary

Approve the request for the expansion of a place of worship, subject to 4 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the request for the expansion of a place of worship, subject to 4 conditions.

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1. Meeting all applicable requirements of Article 12 (Landscape) and any requirements of the City of Knoxville Urban Forestry Division during permitting, and installing the landscaping as shown on the landscape plan. Tree species may be changed to meet the species diversity requirement (Article 12.4), but the number and general location of plants shall align with the proposed landscape plan.
2. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
3. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Plans Review and Inspections.
4. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Engineering.

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This request is to expand the existing 5,900-sq ft church by approximately 9,700 sq ft to create a new auditorium with 235 seats and provide 100 new parking spaces. The existing auditorium area will serve as the church's fellowship hall, and the existing gravel parking area in the front yard will be removed to make way for the new addition. A driveway connection is proposed to the senior living facility to the north, and a sidewalk connection is proposed to an under-construction multifamily development to the south.

The subject property was rezoned to the RP-1 (Planned Residential) zone with up to 5 du/ac in 1980 (8-G-80-RZ). Per Article 1.4.G.1, the previously approved planned districts remain in effect and are subject to all plans, regulations or conditions of approval. The existing church received use on review approval in 1983 (3-C-83-UR) and was constructed shortly after. Therefore, this expansion proposal was evaluated under the April 1982 zoning ordinance in effect at the time.

The April 1982 Zoning Ordinance allowed churches in all residential zones as a use on review. Special uses took the place of uses on review with the adoption of the current zoning ordinance (adopted January 2020), so this proposal requires special use approval. The portion of the lot not designated "(C)" is subject to the current RN-1 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) district standards, which also require a special use for a place of worship.

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

1) THE USE IS CONSISTENT WITH ADOPTED PLANS AND POLICIES, INCLUDING THE GENERAL PLAN AND THE ONE-YEAR PLAN.
A. The proposed church expansion is not expected to adversely impact any existing neighborhoods and communities, which is consistent with the General Plan's Development Policy 9.3.
B. The proposed use is not in conflict with the One Year Plan's and East City Sector Plan's LDR (Low Density Residential) land use classification, which recommends residential zoning districts that all permit consideration of the use of a place of worship.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The RP-1 district is intended to provide optional methods of land development that encourage more imaginative solutions to environmental design problems. The RN-1 district is intended to accommodate traditional low density residential neighborhoods, exhibiting a predominant development pattern of single-family homes on relatively large lots and with generous setbacks. As mentioned above, a place of worship requires special use approval under both districts.
B. The proposed development meets all applicable requirements of the RP-1 and RN-1 districts. For example, the proposed number of parking spaces meets the requirements of the former RP-1 district, which has no restrictions on maximum impervious surface coverage. The portion of the parking area within the RN-1 district meets the maximum 40% impervious surface coverage. For all uses except for single-family dwellings, front setbacks in the RP-1 district are approved by the Planning Commission (Article IV, Section 4a.C.1.a of the 1982 ordinance). Staff has no concerns about the proposed 64.08-ft front setback.
C. The proposed landscaping is designed under the current zoning ordinance standards (Article 12), which exceeds the requirements of the former zoning ordinance (Article V, Section 7.A.5). Per condition 1, the City's Urban Forestry division will review the landscaping requirements under the current standards during the permitting phase.

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 church has operated at this location since the 1980s, and the proposed addition is consistent with the character of this segment of Beaman Lake Road, which features multifamily developments on the same side as the church and single-family dwellings across the street. The proposed 31.35-ft height is compatible with the 1-3-story heights of existing residential structures nearby and with the 4-story multifamily building under construction to the south.

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. The proposed expansion is not expected to have any significant adverse impacts on adjacent properties. Landscaping is proposed along the property's northern and southern boundaries, which abut multifamily developments. The proposed landscaping across the site and the removal of the gravel parking lot from the front yard would improve the property's aesthetics.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The subject property is accessed via Beaman Lake Road, which is a minor collector street. Although the proposed addition increases the church's seating capacity, it is not expected to draw substantial traffic through local residential streets.

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. There are no known uses or environmental factors immediately surrounding the subject property that would pose a potential hazard or have an undesirable impact on the proposed use. The proposed use would likely benefit from the connections to the senior living facility to the north and the under-construction multifamily development to the south.