Disposition Summary

Approve the CA (General Commercial) zone because it is consistent with development and changes in conditions in the area.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the CA (General Commercial) zone because it is consistent with development and changes in conditions in the area.

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PURSUANT TO THE KNOX COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE, ARTICLE 6.30.01, 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 property is adjacent to multiple PC-zoned properties and was rezoned from PC in 2022 to its current zoning PR up to 7.25 du/ac. There have been some commercial rezonings to CA and CB (Business and Manufacturing) in the area along Oak Ridge Hwy since 1992. This property is not adjacent to the CA zone, though Oak Ridge Hwy is mostly zoned CA in this area and CA zoning is across the street to the west.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICABLE ZONING ORDINANCE:
1. The CA zone is for general retail business and services but not for manufacturing or for processing materials consistent with the existing commercial and office uses in the area.
2. The CA and CB zones were recently amended in July 2024 to allow medical office uses and mixed-use development.
3. 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 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. Oak Ridge Hwy is a median-divided highway, a gas station is adjacent to the south on Oak Ridge Hwy and to the north there is a single family subdivision. The property also has access to Jim Jones Ln, a local road less than 0.5 miles long that has a storage facility business and 2 single family homes at the end of the road. The road dead ends into a forested area at the TVA right-of-way for the Clinch River.
2. Both commercial uses and multifamily development would require a Type A Landscape screen (15 ft in width) next to single family residential development per the zoning ordinance (as amended on July 15, 2024.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH AND NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF KNOX COUNTY, INCLUDING ANY OF ITS ELEMENTS, MAJOR ROAD PLAN, LAND USE PLAN, COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN, AND OTHERS:
1. The CA zone is directly related to the Knox County Comprehensive Plan's CC (Corridor Commercial) place type. The primary land use is commercial, and retail uses are recommended to be along major corridors. Multifamily and attached residential development are included as secondary uses.
2. The Knox County Comprehensive Plan's Implementation Policy 5 calls for creating neighborhoods with a variety of housing types and amenities in close proximity. This area on Oak Ridge Hwy serves as a commercial corridor, which provides services and amenities to nearby residents.