Disposition Summary

Approve the alternative design standard based on the justification provided by the applicant and recommendations of the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works.

Approve the Concept Plan subject to 10 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the alternative design standard based on the justification provided by the applicant and recommendations of the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works.

Approve the Concept Plan subject to 10 conditions.

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11) Connection to sanitary sewer and meeting other relevant utility provider requirements.
2) Provision of street names consistent with the Uniform Street Naming and Addressing System within Knox County (County Ord. 91-1-102).
3) Meeting the approved development standards in the preliminary plan for the Belltown planned development (11-A-22-PD).
4) The design details of the boulevard cross section shall be worked out during the design plan phase with Knox County Engineering and Public Works staff.
5) The intersection with W. Emory Road shall meet the requirements of Knox County Engineering and Public Works and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) during the design plan phase.
6) Complying with the terms and conditions of the Memorandum of Understanding with Knox County to implement the recommended improvements to W. Emory Road and the Clinton Highway intersection as outlined in the Belltown Planned Development Traffic Impact Study by Cannon & Cannon (Exhibit B) and as revised and approved by Planning, Knox County Engineering and Public Works, and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) staff.
7) Providing a sight distance easement through the horizontal curve radius less than 250 ft per the requirements of Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the design plan phase.
8) Providing a sidewalk or greenway on the south side of the W. Emory Road frontage per the Knox County Sidewalk Ordinance (Chapter 54, Article IV of the Knox County Code) and Belltown Preliminary Plan approval. The details of the sidewalk or greenway are to be worked out during the design plan phase.
9) Providing a detailed landscape plan for the W. Emory Road frontage consistent with the requirements of Section 8.4.6.B (Buffer Boundary) of the Belltown preliminary plan for review and approval by the Planning staff during the design plan phase.
10) Meeting all applicable requirements of the Department of Engineering and Public Works.

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SUMMARY
This proposal is for Belltown Center, the commercial portion of the Belltown development on the south side of W. Emory Road. The concept plan is for the first portion of the public road intended to loop back to W. Emory Road at the Gold Bell Street intersection. The concept plan shows the proposed lot line for the commercial property, which is approximately 11.24 acres on the west side of the new street. The commercial development will be reviewed administratively by Planning staff to ensure compliance with the Belltown Preliminary Plan (11-A-22-PD).

BACKGROUND
The Belltown development was approved through the Planned Development process (Article 6.80), which provides an optional process for projects that may not fit within the bounds of the standard zoning districts established by the Knox County Zoning Code. The underlying zoning for the subject site is A (Agricultural). The underlying zoning district dimensional, design, and use regulations apply unless an exception is granted as part of the planned development approval. The Belltown Preliminary Plan was approved in January 2023, which added permitted uses to those already allowed in the A zone and replaced the dimensional standards in their entirety.

Belltown was approved to have up to 1,200 residential units and 64,000 sqft of commercial floor area. The residential is split into three categories: single-family, townhouse, and multi-family. The single family designated area had 561 lots proposed in the conceptual Master Plan Map, Exhibit J in the preliminary plan document; however, the maximum number of single-family lots is 752. The first three phases of the Belltown development on the north side of W. Emory Road have been approved for up to 236 house lots, leaving 325 additional lots based on the conceptual Master Plan Map or 516 based on the maximum allowed.

NEXT STEPS
The next steps for the Belltown development are to submit concept plans to create lots and public roads and development plans for Final Plan approval. The Planning Commission must approve the concept plans, which must comply with the Knoxville-Knox County Subdivision Regulations, the Belltown preliminary plan, and any other applicable Knox County Zoning Code requirements. The Final Plans for individual developments must be reviewed and approved by the Planning staff to certify compliance with the Belltown preliminary plan and any other applicable zoning standards.

ALTERNATIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
The applicant is requesting two alternative road design standards. The request to increase the intersection grade from 1 percent to 2 percent is for the intersection of the new road at W. Emory Road. All intersections with a crosswalk cannot exceed 2 percent grade per the ADA standards. The 200-ft horizontal curve radius at the long curve of the new road, at approximately STA 7+00, is appropriate for a street with a 25-mph posted speed limit. A sight distance easement based on the design speed of the road must be provided on the inside of the curve per the requirements of Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the design plan phase. A sidewalk is proposed on the inside of the curve, which provides additional safety to pedestrians.

BELLTOWN PRELIMINARY PLAN
The Belltown development must conform to the preliminary plan and the conditions of the approval (11-A-22-PD).

Applicable conditions of approval (see Exhibit D, case summary, for the full list of conditions):

1) Submitting a Concept Plan application for review and approval by the Planning Commission. The Concept Plan shall include additional details regarding the required road improvements and the pedestrian facilities across and along W. Emory Road, and that planning staff is to be a part of the design plan review process along with Knox County Engineering and Public Works, Knox County Parks and Recreation and TDOT to oversee the additional items as outlined [Conditions #9, 10 and 11], as well as working with the developer.
NOTE: These details were part of the concept plan for phases 1 & 2 and are currently in permit review.

2) Partnering with Knox County to implement the recommended improvements to the W. Emory Road and Clinton Highway intersection by providing funding commensurate to the projected 2030 traffic volumes added to this intersection by the development as outlined in the Bell Farms (Belltown) Master Plan Traffic Impact Study (CDM Smith, 9/21/2022), and as revised and approved by Planning Commission staff and Knox County Engineering and Public Works. The Traffic Impact Study must be revised to be consistent with the maximum allowed development intensity in Section 7.2. (Proposed Density) of the Belltown preliminary plan (revised 12/5/2022) and, if applicable, condition #4 and to provide design details for the westbound receiving lane on W. Emory Road at the Clinton Highway intersection. The details regarding the shared costs of the improvements for this intersection shall be determined during the design plan phase.
NOTE: The applicant has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Knox County to complete the required road improvements.

3) Amending Section 13. (Project Phasing) to clarify that the developer will provide funding toward the improvements at the W. Emory Road and Clinton Highway intersection commensurate to the projected 2030 traffic volumes added to this intersection per the revised Traffic Impact Study.
NOTE: Condition #3 is no longer relevant based on the pending ordinance amendment as noted above.

9) Adding a master signage package for the south side to be submitted to Knoxville-Knox County Planning as a separate Use on Review.
NOTE: An application for the master signage package has not been submitted.

10) Adding a master sidewalk/pedestrian access plan as part of the TDOT design plan stage to be part of the design plan approval to be submitted to Knox County Engineering and Public Works.
NOTE: The pedestrian improvements are part of the W. Emory Road improvements that are currently under review for permitting.

11) Add construction of amenities to the phasing plan [Section 13, Exhibit L] for the north (separately) and south sides of the development.
NOTE: The phasing plan has been added to the preliminary plan. The access road to the proposed public park on the south side of the property, along Beaver Creek, is scheduled for 2024. The proposed road will provide this access.

Applicable standards in the Belltown preliminary plan:
Section 7.2.D. - Commercial designated area, approximately 12 acres, shall not exceed 64,000 square feet of commercial.
NOTE: The Final Plan for the commercial development will be reviewed administratively by Planning staff.

Section 8.4. (Commercial Designated Areas) - See Exhibit C for the full list of commercial guidelines.

Section 8.4.6.B. (Landscape, Boundary Buffer) - The entire boundary, including abutting to West Emory Road, of the Commercial Area shall be landscaped with a minimum of one (1) ornamental, native, or evergreen tree per every twenty-five (25) linear feet with shrubs and ground cover plantings between trees.
NOTE: Condition #9 requires a landscape plan for the W. Emory Road frontage to be submitted for review and approval by Planning staff during the design plan phase.

Section 8.4.8. (Signs) - Signs are permitted as outlined by Knox County Zoning Ordinance, Section 3.90 (Signs, billboards, and other advertising structures).
NOTE: The approved preliminary plan does not propose sign standards as a waiver to the underlying A (Agricultural) zone. However, a condition of the preliminary plan approval is that a master signage package be submitted as a Use on Review application for review and approval by the Planning Commission. This application has not been submitted yet.

Section 9.C. (Walkability and Connectivity) - Every road will have sidewalks on at least one side.
NOTE: The new road has sidewalks on both sides of the boulevard from the W. Emory Road intersection to the first driveway intersection for the commercial district. A sidewalk on one side of the road is provided for the remainder of its length.