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Staff Recommendation

Approve the RA (Low Density Residential) zone because it is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and surrounding area.

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PURSUANT TO THE KNOX COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE, ARTICLE 16.30.01, THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET FOR ALL REZONINGS (must meet all of these):

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE NECESSARY BECAUSE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED OR CHANGING CONDITIONS IN THE AREA AND DISTRICTS AFFECTED, OR IN THE COUNTY GENERALLY:
1. This section of Conner Road has remained mostly unchanged since 1999 when Conner Road was widened and realigned 0.25 miles south toward E Emory Road. Also, a mile south is the I-75 Interchange at Emory Road where TDOT is undergoing a major construction project to convert this diamond interchange into a Diverging Diamond in order to move high volumes of traffic.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The RA zone provides for residential areas with low population densities. The RA zone allows single-family houses with sewer on 10,000 sq ft lots and duplexes on 12,000 sq ft lots with use on review approval by the Planning Commission. Without sewer, the minimum lot size is 20,000 sq ft for houses and duplexes.
2. 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 RA zone primarily allows residential uses, which aligns with the existing residential character of the area.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ANY OTHER PART OF THE COUNTY, NOR SHALL ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT ADVERSE EFFECTS RESULT FROM SUCH AMENDMENT.
1. Conner Road is a minor collector road, so no additional traffic will be routed through neighborhoods.
2. While the surrounding properties on Conner Road are zoned A (Agricultural), many of them are non-conforming to the minimum 1-acre lot size in the A zone because they were created before the current zoning regulations were adopted.
3. The Hillside Protection area covers the entirety of the property. The recommended disturbance budget, based on the steepness of the slopes, is 1.54 acres of this 1.82-acre property.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE GENERAL PLAN OF KNOXVILLE AND KNOX COUNTY, INCLUDING ANY OF ITS ELEMENTS, MAJOR ROAD PLAN, LAND USE PLAN, COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN, AND OTHERS:
1. The property is within the SR (Suburban Residential) place type and is considered directly related, meaning the zoning district is appropriate to consider in this place type.
2. This request brings the zoning into compliance with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan, as the current A zoning is not a zone that can be considered under the SR place type. The SR place type calls for primarily single family residential development and attached dwellings that have the scale of a single family home. The RA zone allows single family homes and duplexes.
3. The property is within the Planned Growth Boundary. The purposes of the Planned Growth Boundary designation are to encourage a reasonably compact pattern of development, promote the expansion of the Knox County economy, offer a wide range of housing choices, and coordinate the actions of the public and private sectors, particularly with regard to the provision of adequate roads, utilities, schools, drainage and other public facilities and services. This development is in alignment with these goals.