To be heard August 14, 2025Agenda Item No. 25

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the request for a drive-through facility in the C-G-2 (General Commercial) district, subject to 4 conditions.

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1) Meeting all applicable requirements of the City of Knoxville Zoning Ordinance.
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) Installing the landscape as shown on the plan. Species diversity and other requirements of Article 12 (Landscape) shall be verified during the permitting phase.

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The applicant proposes to reconfigure a drive through facility at the ORNL Federal Credit Union branch in the Burlington area. The existing attached canopy, which currently accommodates two vehicles, will be removed. In its place, a detached canopy featuring three car bays is proposed.

STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING A SPECIAL USE (ARTICLE 16.2.F.2.)
1) THE USE IS CONSISTENT WITH ADOPTED PLANS AND POLICES, INCLUDING THE GENERAL PLAN AND THE ONE YEAR PLAN.
A. This part of the Magnolia Avenue corridor primarily includes a mix of commercial and office uses. The proposed drive-through replaces an existing drive-through structure and is consistent with the General Plan's Development Policy 9.3, to ensure that the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, does not impact existing neighborhoods and communities.
B. The proposed use is consistent with the One Year Plan and East City Sector Plan's MU-SD EC-2 (Mixed Use - Special District, Magnolia Avenue) land use classification, which recommends a mix of residential, office, and commercial uses along Magnolia Avenue. The land use designation emphasizes a pedestrian-friendly environment, and the property is bordered by sidewalks on three sides. The applicant is proposing a sidewalk connection from Magnolia Avenue as part of this proposal.
C. The Magnolia Avenue Corridor Plan (2009) proposed a conceptual form-based land use plan for this area, as described on p. 47 of the plan. The MA6 (Magnolia Avenue 6 Area) designation of this property is meant for areas of intense development with a front setback of 10- 25 ft and a minimum building height of two stories. The plan has additional recommendations for the Burlington Area that encourage consistent landscaped yard spaces (p. 40-41). The proposed landscape plan includes trees and shrubs along the frontage of Magnolia Avenue and is consistent with the corridor plan.

2) THE USE IS IN HARMONY WITH THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THIS ZONING CODE.
A. The C-G zoning district is intended to provide for a heterogeneous mix of retail, personal service, office, and residential uses within and along Knoxville's commercial nodes and corridors. It also intends to promote mixed-use development in a pedestrian-oriented environment that recalls the City's traditional business districts, and offers flexibility in the creation of integrated commercial, office, and residential spaces.
B. With the recommended conditions, the drive-through facility meets all applicable requirements of the zoning ordinance, including Article 5.3 (Dimensional Standards), Article 5.4 (Design Standards), and Article 9.3.F (Principal Use Standards). For example, a sidewalk connection is proposed to ensure safe pedestrian access from the public right-of-way, as required by Article 5.4.A.
C. The Board of Zoning Appeals has approved a variance to increase the minimum required corner side setback in the C-G-2 zoning district from a build-to zone of 0-20 ft to 248 ft (BZA-25-0051).

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 existing one-story building with an attached drive-through canopy has operated as a financial location at this location since 2008. The proposed drive-through facility is consistent with the corridor's office and commercial character.

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 reconfiguration of a drive-through facility is not anticipated to have any significant adverse impacts. The proposed use is required to comply with Article 10.2 (Exterior Lighting) and Article 10.5 (Environmental Performance Standards), which regulate light, noise, odor, dust, air pollution, and odor impacts.

5) THE USE IS NOT OF A NATURE OR SO LOCATED AS TO DRAW SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
A. The proposed drive-through facility will access Magnolia Avenue and Linden Avenue. Although several residential properties are accessed off of Linden Avenue, most of the traffic is expected to use Magnolia Avenue, a major arterial street.

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 known uses in the vicinity that could be a potential hazard or create an undesirable environment for the proposed use on this site.