Disposition Summary

Approve the requested neighborhood nonresidential reuse of a commercial building for an eating and drinking establishment, subject to 3 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the requested neighborhood nonresidential reuse of a commercial building for an eating and drinking establishment, subject to 3 conditions.

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1. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance, including, but not limited to, Article 13 (Signs), Article 11 (Parking), and Article 8.5 (Historic Overlay Zoning).
2. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Plans Review and Inspections.
3. Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Engineering.

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The applicant is requesting to reuse an existing, vacant commercial building as a bakery. Although new eating and drinking establishment structures are not permitted in the RN-4 (General Residential) district, a nonresidential reuse of a structure originally constructed for a nonresidential use within a residential neighborhood can be approved via special use review, subject to the Principal Use Standards of Neighborhood Nonresidential Reuse (Article 9.3.V).

The property is within the Edgewood Park City National Register Historic District and local H (Historic Overlay) district, and it contains a c.1895 house fronting Jefferson Avenue and a c.1961 commercial building at the rear of the lot fronting Winona Street, which is the building proposed for nonresidential reuse. The submitted plans and operations summary details that no physical alterations will be made to the site and the operating hours (mornings and early afternoons) will not be a nuisance to surrounding properties. Existing on-street parking will be used, and the property is served by sidewalks and a KAT bus stop in front of the building.

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 One Year Plan's and the Central City Sector Plan's TDR (Traditional Neighborhood Residential) land use classification is primarily intended for residential development. However, compatible, lower-intensity nonresidential uses may be considered in this area, provided they are permitted by the zoning district. The Central City Sector Plan encourages the preservation and rehabilitation of historic structures in the Edgewood Park City historic district.
B. The property abuts the MU-SD, MU-CC-4 (Mixed-Use Special District, Magnolia Gateways) land use classification to the north and on the western side of Winona Street, and this classification encourages mixed-use development, specifically a mix of residential, commercial, office, warehouse, wholesale, and light industrial uses in this area.
C. The proposed special use supports the General Plan's Development Policies 6.6 and 8.2, to encourage the reuse of vacant and underutilized historic resources and to locate neighborhood commercial so that it will enhance, rather than hinder, the stability of residential areas.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The RN-4 district intends to accommodate mixed medium density residential development and permits a limited range of nonresidential uses that are compatible with the character of the district. As mentioned above, the eating and drinking establishment use can be permitted as neighborhood nonresidential reuse via special use approval.
B. The proposed use is consistent with the Principal Use Standards (9.3.V) and must operate within the applicable restrictions. For example, all business and storage uses must be located within the structure, and live entertainment uses are prohibited. Any change of an approved use to another nonresidential use would require a new special use approval.
C. The Principal Use standards state that no off-street parking is required, but existing parking must be maintained. The property's current parking consists of on-street parking along Jefferson Avenue. There is a KAT bus stop in front of the building, and the subject property is served by sidewalks on both Winona Street and Jefferson Avenue and is in a walkable neighborhood with a developed sidewalk system. There is a driveway to the north of the subject building, which cannot be used as parking for the eating and drinking establishment unless improvements are made to meet City Engineering standards, and no improvements are currently proposed.
D. The subject property is within the Edgewood Park City H district, which is intended to preserve and protect historic structures and guide rehabilitation to be compatible with the character of this historic area. The proposed special use will bring a vacant building into active use, encouraging its preservation. While no exterior changes are proposed at this time, any exterior alterations or signs would require historic zoning approval for compliance with the neighborhood design guidelines.

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 commercial building has existed at this location since 1961 and is protected by a H district that requires any exterior alterations to undergo historic zoning review to ensure compatibility with the neighborhood.
B. The building is at the southeastern edge of an existing commercial node at the intersection of Winona Street and Washington Avenue, so the proposed special use would be a minor extension that will serve the residents of the surrounding Parkridge neighborhood. More intensive commercial uses are directly to the west along Jeferson Avenue.

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 use of an eating and drinking establishment outlined in the operations summary in this approximately 1,000-sq-ft building is not anticipated to be injurious to the surrounding residential area and is consistent with longstanding commercial uses along Winona Street.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. Winona Street is a minor collector featuring a mix of residential and commercial uses, and vehicular traffic would likely be routed from Washington Avenue to the north, a minor collector, and from East Fifth Avenue and East Magnolia Avenue to the south, a major collector and major arterial, respectively.
B. Although there could be a minor increase in traffic along Jefferson Avenue to access on-street parking, an eating and drinking establishment, particularly the proposed bakery, is not anticipated to generate significant traffic. As previously mentioned, the property is served by transit and pedestrian amenities that will reduce vehicular traffic.

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 aspects of the property or the surrounding context that pose a risk to the requested eating and drinking establishment use.