To be heard July 9, 2026Agenda Item No. 9

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the C-N (Neighborhood Commercial) zoning district because it does not meet all of the criteria for a rezoning.

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PURSUANT TO THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE ZONING ORDINANCE, SECTION 16.1.E, ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET FOR ALL REZONINGS:

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. The subject property is within the Old Sevier neighborhood that has been experiencing increased residential development since the late 1990s, including the construction of two dense apartment developments in 1999 and of a 15-unit townhouse development in 2026 within 0.25 miles of the subject property.
2. This section of Sevier Avenue is included in the annual resurfacing program and in the Sevier Avenue Utility and Conduit Project, which will relocate all overhead utilities to underground conduits and duct banks, but that project has not yet begun. These significant infrastructure improvements, though notable, do not necessarily make nonresidential development at this location more feasible.
3. In contrast, there has been an increase in commercial and mixed-used development focused along Sevier Avenue to the northwest of the subject property near the waterfront, and the Sevier Avenue Roadway Project, currently underway, supports these development trends in that area. This project will add a roundabout at Sevier Avenue and Island Home Avenue intersection and new ADA-compliant sidewalks, streetlights, and traffic signals.
4. In 2024 the applicant requested a rezoning and plan amendment from RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) and LDR (Low Density Residential) to C-N (Neighborhood Commercial) and NC (Neighborhood Commercial) at a property 250 feet to the north that was approved, and a townhouse development was completed in the property in 2026 (4-T-24-RZ/4-J-24-PA/4-L-24-SP). However, that property abutted existing C-G-1 (General Commercial) zoning and NC land use classification to the north, so approval was recommended because it was a minor extension of an existing commercial node. Conversely, in 2025 a rezoning and plan amendment request from RN-2 and LDR to C-N and NC was denied at a property on Sevier Avenue 0.3 miles to the northwest that was within an established residential area and in close proximity to existing commercial amenities because it would have been an encroachment of a commercial land use classification into a residential area (7-J-25-RZ/7-D-25-PA/7-D-25-SP).
5. The subject property contains a house built in the late 1800s that has been used as a duplex since at least the 1990s when it was rezoned from C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial) to R-2 (General Residential) to make the duplex a legal use (1-Q-96-RZ).

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The C-N (Neighborhood Commercial) zoning district is intended to provide for an environment of integrated residential development and small-scale commercial and service uses. Though the C-N district is typically compatible with a residential area, the zoning district is not appropriate at this location, as it would be a nonresidential district encroaching into an established neighborhood that already features commercial nodes within 600 feet to the north and south of the subject property and that is separated from the wide mix of uses along the northwestern section Sevier Avenue.
2. Approving C-N zoning at the subject property could encourage the commercial nodes to the north and south, that bound this section of Sevier Avenue, to expand, which does not align with the intent of the C-N zone or the NC land use classification.
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 C-N district permits residential development, select commercial uses, and low-intensity mixed-use development. Although the townhouse and multifamily uses permitted in C-N that are not permitted under the property's current RN-2 zoning are compatible with surrounding land uses, some of the permitted commercial uses would be incompatible. The property's current MDR (Medium Density Residential) plan designation supports rezoning requests to the RN-4 (General Residential) and RN-5 (General Residential) districts that also allow these residential uses and consistent with the nearby multifamily development.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE CITY, NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AMENDMENT.
1. The C-N district requires additional design standards for nonresidential developments abutting single-family residential zoning districts that are intended to mitigate adverse impacts on residential areas, such as increased setbacks, decreased building height, and noise and lighting requirements. Nonresidential development must adhere to Section 5.3.B of the City of Knoxville's Zoning Ordinance and Article 12.8, which requires a buffer yard between residential and nonresidential districts for any new construction.
2. Some of the commercial uses permitted in the C-N district could create traffic conflicts at the intersection with Baker Avenue across the street and are not supported by existing pedestrian amenities.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE KNOXVILLE-KNOX COUNTY GENERAL PLAN AND ITS COMPONENT PARTS, INCLUDING ADOPTED SECTOR PLANS, CORRIDOR PLANS, AND RELATED DOCUMENTS.
1. The C-N district is not supported by the existing MDR land use classification in the One Year Plan and South City Sector Plan. Plan amendments are not recommended to accommodate this rezoning request because the subject property does not meet the location criteria for the NC land use classification.
2. The proposed rezoning does not comply with the General Plan's Development Policy 8.2, to locate neighborhood commercial so that it will enhance, rather than hinder, the stability of residential areas, and Development Policy 8.4, to protect residential areas from encroaching commercial development. As mentioned, the subject property lies along a residential section of Sevier Avenue that is bounded by existing commercial nodes within 600 feet to the north and south.
3. Other nearby areas have been identified as more appropriate for commercial and mixed-use development, such as the established South Waterfront district encompassing the mixed-use corridor along Sevier Avenue to the northwest.

ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SCHOOLS, PARKS, POLICE AND FIRE PROTECTION, ROADS, SANITARY SEWERS, AND WATER LINES, OR ARE REASONABLY CAPABLE OF BEING PROVIDED PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IF THE AMENDMENT WERE ADOPTED:
1. This is an urbanized area with ample utility and facility infrastructure to support a rezoning of this site.