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

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Staff Recommendation

Deny the RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) zoning district because the subject property does not have adequate access to support a rezoning of this site. The HP (Hillside Protection Overlay) would be retained.

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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 IS NECESSARY BECAUSE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED OR CHANGING CONDITIONS IN THE AREA AND DISTRICTS AFFECTED, OR IN THE CITY GENERALLY.
1. The surrounding area is a well-established neighborhood that has not experienced significant changes over the last twenty years, except for the occasional construction of single-family homes scattered throughout. Most new developments occurred along Merchant Drive to the west and Clinton Highway to the north, consisting of a mix uses including commercial, office, civic, and multifamily residential.
2. Similarly, rezonings in the surrounding area have primarily been concentrated around the neighborhood's periphery, along Clinton Highway to the north and Merchant Drive to the west, where zoning has transitioned from single-family residential to office, commercial, and medium density residential zoning. There have been limited rezoning requests near the subject property, but the single-family residential districts were retained.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THIS CODE.
1. The RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) zoning district is intended to accommodate low density single-family residential development on relatively small lots with smaller setbacks. The subject property meets this description, as the surrounding neighborhood mainly consists of single-family and limited two-family dwellings on various lot sizes.
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 RN-2 district permits the same uses as the existing RN-1 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) zoning district.

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. As previously mentioned, the RN-2 district permits the same uses as the current RN-1 district. The primary difference between the two districts is the lot size and setback requirements, as the minimum lot size in the RN-1 district is 10,000 sq ft, whereas in RN-2 it is 5,000 sq ft. If the subject property were subdivided, the new lots would require a shared driveway to access Tillery Road. The shared driveway would be located very close to the intersection of Farris Drive from the north, which could conflict with the intersection. As such, increasing intensity at this location would not be appropriate.
2. Though there is RN-2 zoning nearby, those properties align with their assigned zoning districts and have direct access to the street.

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 subject property is designated LDR (Low Density Residential) under the City's One Year Plan and Northwest City Sector Plan, which permits the RN-2 zoning district.
2. The proposed rezoning does not comply with the General Plan's Development Policy 9.3, to ensure that the context of new development does not impact existing neighborhoods and communities. As previously mentioned, the subject property's point of access on Tillery Road is a safety concern as it could cause conflicts with vehicles turning left on Tillery Road from Farris Drive, and does not support increasing residential intensity at this location.

WHETHER ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SCHOOLS, PARKS, POLICE AND FIRE PROTECTION, ROADS, SANITARY SEWERS, STORM 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. The subject property is within a mile of Norwood Elementary and Norwood Public Library to the west and the Pleasant Ridge Greenway Trail to the south, which connects to Victor Ashe Park and Northwest Middle School.