Disposition Summary

Approved the RA (Low Density Residential) zone because it is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and surrounding development.

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Staff Recommendation

Approved the RA (Low Density Residential) zone because it is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and surrounding development.

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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 ZONES AFFECTED, OR IN THE COUNTY GENERALLY.
1. The surrounding area is predominantly residential, with agricultural and forested lands steadily transitioning to residential since the early 2000s.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The RA (Low Density Residential) zone is intended to provide for areas with low population densities. The low-density intent of the RA zone is consistent with surrounding development.
2. The immediate area surrounding the subject property consists entirely of residential uses, and approving the requested RA zone would maintain the residential character of the community.
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.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE COUNTY NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AN AMENDMENT.
1. The subject property is located in an HP (Hillside Protection) area and there are slopes ranging from 15-25% on the rear half of the site. The southern portion of the property along Highland View Drive is relatively flat with sloped under 15%.
2. The RA zone requires properties not served by sanitary sewer to have a minimum lot area of 20,000 sq ft. The subject property is 45,000 sq ft, which based solely on the minimum lot area, could allow up to two lots.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF KNOX COUNTY, INCLUDING ANY OF ITS ELEMENTS, MAJOR ROAD PLAN, LAND USE PLAN, COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN, AND OTHERS:
1. The subject site falls is designated as the SR (Suburban Residential) place type in the Knox County Comprehensive Plan. The RA zone is listed as being directly related to the SR place type. The allowed uses within RA align with the primary and secondary uses of SR, which are predominantly residential and civic in nature.
2. This property is located within the Planned Growth Area, which encourages a reasonably compact pattern of development and offering a wide range of housing choices. Approving the requested RA zone aligns with the intent of the Planned Growth Area designation.
3. The rezoning request complies with the Comprehensive Plan's implementation policy 2, to ensure that new development is sensitive to existing community character. The lot sizes and uses allowed by the RA zone are more consistent with other residential development in the area compared to those allowed in the A zone.