To be heard August 14, 2025Agenda Item No. 43

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the variance to reduce the intersection spacing between the centerlines of Road 'A' and Emerald Heath Road, from 300 ft to 183 ft.
A. Due to the existing topography and providing adequate sight distance, the intersection of Road 'A' at W. Beaver Creek Drive needs to be located at the proposed spacing of 183 ft northeast of Emerald Heath Road.
B. The vertical curvature of W. Beaver Creek Drive limits the location of the access, which is unique to this property and was not created by any person who has an interest in the property.
C. The granting of the variance will not be detrimental to public safety, health, or welfare because the placement of the proposed road obtains the required sight distance and allows for safe left turn movements from both the subject site and Emerald Heath Road. Knox County Engineering and Public Works recommends approval of this variance based on the justifications provided by the applicant.

Approve the variance to eliminate the requirement of a cul-de-sac at the southwest terminus of Road 'B', a street that serves two or more lots on the same side of the street, subject to installation of a temporary turnaround per condition #7.
A. The alternative turnaround will reduce impacts within the adjacent stream buffer.
B. The stream and its location are unique to this property and were not created by any person who has an interest in the property.
C. The granting of the variance will not be detrimental to public safety, health, or welfare because of the limited number of houses on this portion of Road 'B' and the temporary turnaround will be sized for typical passenger vehicles and box trucks, and this road segment is short enough that a larger turnaround for a fire truck is not required. Knox County Engineering and Public Works recommends approval of this variance based on the justifications provided by the applicant.

Approve the alternative design standard based on the justification provided by the applicant and recommendations of the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works.

Approve the Concept Plan subject to 13 conditions.

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1. Connection to sanitary sewer and meeting other relevant utility provider requirements.
2. Provision of street names consistent with the Uniform Street Naming and Addressing System within Knox County (County Ord. 91-1-102).
3. If during design plan approval or construction of the development, it is discovered that unforeseen off-site improvements within the right-of-way are necessary as caused by the development, the developer will either enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the County for these improvements or reimburse the County for their direct expenses (if completed by County crews) to make corrections deemed necessary.
4. Meeting the zoning conditions attached to case files 9-I-24-RZ and 2-I-25-RZ, including restrictions on the number of building permits that can be issued and access restrictions before improvements to the W. Beaver Creek Drive and Clinton Highway intersection are completed, and tree plantings, as outlined in the staff comments and Exhibit B.
5. Submitting the landscape plan for Planning staff review and approval during the design plan phase, showing 5 trees per acre being retained and/or planted with at least half being shade trees, for the portions of the site required by the zoning conditions.
6. Providing a 50-ft wide right-of-way stub-out from the southwest terminus of Road 'B' to the property at the western boundary. The stub-out shall be provided on the final plat and identified for future connection, and installing notification of future street connection as required by Section 3.04.C.2.d. of the Knoxville-Knox County Subdivision Regulations. The road pavement and curbing are not required to extend beyond the temporary turnaround (see condition #7).
7. Providing a temporary turnaround at the southern terminus of Road 'B' to meet the AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) standards for a box truck (SU-30) with review and approval by Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the design plan phase.
8. Providing public right-of-way or an easement around the temporary turnaround that extends outside of the typical 50-ft right-of-way, per the requirements of Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the design plan phase.
9. Meeting the requirements of Chapter 54, Article IV of the Knox County Code (Sidewalk Ordinance), per Knox County Engineering and Public Works during the design plan phase.
10. Meeting all applicable requirements of the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works.
11. Obtaining all necessary permits from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
12. Meeting all applicable requirements of the Knox County Zoning Ordinance.
13. Before certification of the final plat for the subdivision, establish a property owners association responsible for maintaining common facilities, such as common areas, amenities, private roads, and/or stormwater drainage systems, as required by the PR (Planned Residential) zone when there are lots less than 3,000 sqft (Article 5.13.10.B).

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NOTE: This application was originally submitted and advertised parcels 067-055, 057 (part of), 061, and 062, and their associated addresses. However, a plat recorded on July 7, 2025, combined parcels 055 and the portion of 057 associated with this development. The combined parcel is now known as 055. References in the concept plan to parcels 055 and 057 are for the their boundaries as of the date of application, not the combined total.
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This proposal is for a 60-lot attached residential subdivision on 10.43 acres (5.75 du/ac). The site consists of four parcels and three different PR (Planned Residential) zone districts with the same maximum density, 12 du/ac. Two of the PR districts are subject to conditions outlined below. Access to the site is from W. Beaver Creek Lane, and a right-of-way stub out is provided at the southwest terminus of Road 'B'.

ZONING CONDITIONS
A) 9-I-24-RZ (Parcels 067-061 & 062)
1. No more than 24 residential building permits shall be issued before completion of capital improvements at the intersection of W. Beaver Creek Drive and Clinton Highway.
2. Install a temporary island restricting left turns until the intersection of W. Beaver Creek Drive and Clinton Highway is improved.
3. Preserving/planting 5 trees per acre, with half being shade trees. New trees selected shall be from the native plant list of the City of Knoxville arborist.
B) 2-I-25-RZ (Part of parcel 067-055)
1. No more than 14 building permits shall be issued before the completion of capital improvements planned at the intersection of W. Beaver Creek Drive and Clinton Highway, unless a no left turn island is installed.
2. Five trees per acre shall be planted, with at least half being shade trees.

VARIANCES
A) The location of the proposed access to the subdivision requires a reduction of the minimum intersection separation from 300 ft to 183 ft. The subject property is between the intersections of Emerald Heath Road and Autumn View Lane, which are 600 ft apart on the north side of W. Beaver Creek Drive. The proposed access can be located 300 ft from each of these intersections; however, there is a small rise in the road may inhibit sight distance. Because of the vertical curvature of the W. Beaver Creek Drive, the proposed access point provides greater visibility in both directions and provides adequate separation between Emerald Heath Road to allow for safe left turn movements into and out of the subdivisions. Knox County Engineering and Public Works recommend approval of the request.
B) There is a stream that crosses through the property from the southwest to the northeast corners of the site. The southwest portion of Road 'B' is a short segment with three houses on the south side of the road. The Subdivision Regulations require a cul-de-sac turnaround on public streets where there is more than one lot on one side of the road. This request is to eliminate the requirement for a cul-de-sac turnaround because of the short road length and reduced disturbance into the stream buffers on the north side of the road. In addition, a right-of-way stub out is provided to the western boundary, so this road may be extended in the future. Knox County Engineering and Public Works agrees with the request to eliminate the requirement for a cul-de-sac but recommends that an AASHTO turnaround that can accommodate a typical box truck, such as a delivery truck, be provided. A larger turnaround is not necessary because Road 'B', from the centerline of Road 'A' to the western property line, is less than 150 ft long, which is the maximum the fire code allows for access roads without a turnaround that can accommodate a fire truck.

ALTERNATIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
A) The applicant is requesting that the minimum lot frontage be reduced from 25 ft to 20 ft for the lots around the outside of the cul-de-sac on Road 'B', and to 24 ft for all other lots that are internal to the groupings of attached houses. The Planning Commission has the authority to approve a lot frontage reduction to 20 ft if guest parking is provided. The Subdivision Regulations do not specify how guest parking is to be provided or how many spaces would be required. On plan sheet 5, the applicant shows that on-street parking can accommodate 15 vehicles, excluding the 3 parallel spaces dedicated to the mail kiosk. However, 2 or 3 of the on-street spaces may not be feasible once the T-turnaround at the southwest terminus of Road 'B' is included in the design. The development will have approximately 0.25 guest parking spaces per dwelling unit, which is a common standard used by other municipalities for similar developments. Staff recommend approval of this request based on the available on-street and parallel parking spaces.
B) The Subdivision Regulations require a maximum intersection grade of 1 percent and allow Knox County Engineering and Public Works to approve intersection grades up to 3 percent as an alternative design standard. An intersection with a crosswalk cannot exceed 2 percent. The applicant is proposing 2 percent grades for the intersections at both ends of Road 'A', which will accommodate sidewalks, if installed as part of the project or in the future. Knox County Engineering and Public Works support this request.