Disposition Summary

Approve the request for a multifamily development of up to 84 units, subject to 5 conditions.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the request for a multifamily development of up to 84 units, subject to 5 conditions.

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1) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Code, including, but not limited to, Principal Use Standards (Article 9.3.I) and Site Landscape (Article 12.7).
2) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Engineering Department.
3) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Plans Review and Inspections Department.
4) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Tree Protection Ordinance.
5) Ensuring adequate screening to mitigate noise from Interstate 640, subject to review and approval by the City's Urban Forestry Division during the permitting phase:
(a) Maintaining all existing, healthy trees along I-640 right-of-way and within the riparian buffer zone outside the scope of required grading for building pads.
(b) Mitigating any removed or disturbed trees within the riparian buffer zone.
(c) Installing additional native, non-invasive trees within the riparian buffer zone and around the rear side of the structures to fill in any gaps and ensure sufficient screening.

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This proposal is for an 84-unit multifamily development comprising four 3-story structures and three 2-story structures at the intersection of Loves Creek Road and Buffat Mill Road. The applicant proposes to subdivide the 5.42-acre subject parcel into 5 lots and one common area, meeting the maximum 40,000-sq ft lot size requirement for multifamily developments in the RN-4 district.

ACCESS AND CONNECTIVITY: Access is provided via two shared driveways from Loves Creek Road. One driveway serves lots 1 and 2; the other serves lots 4, 5, and 6. Because the development is divided into separate lots, access easements are required so the lots without driveways can use the driveways on the other properties. While the Subdivision Regulations generally restricts multifamily developments on access easements, access is consolidated here for safety reasons and the alternative layout is preferred by City Engineering.

The traffic impact study recommends installation of stop signs at the proposed driveways and converting the intersection of Loves Creek Road and Buffat Mill Road from side-street stop control to all-way stop control (Exhibit D). The study found a lack of sight distance at the proposed driveways locations but indicates the required distance can be obtained by removing or trimming any vegetation within the right-of-way. Additionally, City Engineering may require grading of any restrictive embankments during the permitting phase.

A planned greenway (Loves Creek Greenway Corridor) is contemplated to go through the northeastern corner of the subject parcel, connecting an existing trail across Loves Creek Road to the commercial node north of subject parcel. The proposed development does not provide any connection to the greenway since the feasibility and exact location of the greenway is unknown at this time.

HISTORIC STRUCTURE: HISTORIC STRUCTURE: The existing 2-story structure on the property was originally constructed in the 1860s by Alfred Buffat, after whom Buffat Mill Road is named. The structure, known as Alfred Buffat Homestead or "The Maples", is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The property owner has applied for assistance from the City's Residential Historic Preservation Program and submitted a permit application (PLAN-26-1650) to relocate the structure to the abutting southern parcel owned by the same owner. The structure's historic significance, photograph, and relocation plan is included in Exhibit C.

STREAM BUFFER: A 60-ft Riparian Buffer Zone is required on each side of the stream running through the property. The applicant is proposing to establish a buffer on an average-width basis (Stormwater and Street Ordinance, Section 22.5-35), maintaining at least 30 ft outside of all building areas and providing an extended buffer area along the norther side to compensate for encroachments into the 60-ft buffer areas.

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 use is consistent with the General Plan's development policy 9.3, which encourages the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, to not impact existing neighborhoods and communities. The property's location, surrounded by two major collector streets and the Interstate 640, provides adequate buffer from nearby neighborhoods.
B. The General Plan's Development Policy 9.5 discourages residential developments in locations that will be subject to excessive noise. The recommended condition to provide additional landscaping along I-640 is intended to mitigate noise from the highways.
C. The proposed use is consistent with the One Year Plan's and Northeast County Sector Plan's MDR/O (Medium Density Residential / Office) land use classification.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The RN-4 district is intended to accommodate mixed medium density residential neighborhoods in the City that includes houses, duplexes, townhomes, low-rise multi-family dwellings, cottage courts, and pocket neighborhoods.
B. Each of the proposed lots conforms to the RN-4 district's dimensional standards (Article 4.3) and parking requirements (Article 11).
C. The proposed structures largely comply with the principal use standards for multifamily developments (Article 9.3.I). However, additional windows are required on the façade of Building 2 facing Buffat Mill Road to meet the 20% transparency requirement along street-facing facades, which shall be verified during permitting. Street facing facades are encouraged to include three-dimensional elements to provide more visual interest, but this is not a requirement and the side facades are largely absent any three-dimensional architectural elements.
D. The applicant is proposing a 6-ft wide parking lot perimeter landscape yard along Loves Creek Road per Article 12.5. To meet the foundation landscaping requirement of Article 12.7, an alternative landscape design shall be provided 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 subject property is isolated from other residential developments in the larger vicinity, separated by I-640 to the west and a rail line and wooded Loves Creek to the east. The area to the north is characterized by large commercial uses.
B. The existing historic structure on the property will be relocated to the abutting southern parcel. While the proposed use is not compatible with the historic site, staff recommnds a Type A landscape screen along the sshared boundary to mitigate the visual impact of the new development.

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 proposal is not anticipated to injure the value of any nearby properties.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The development is accessed via Loves Creek Road, a major collector, with nearby access to Millertown Pike and I-640, so it will not draw traffic through 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. Noise from the Interstate 640 to the southwest could pose a potential undesirable environment for the proposed use. Staff recommends maintaining the existing vegetation along the highway and installing additional landscaping to minimize the effect.