Disposition Summary

Approve the RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) because it is consistent with the adopted plans and surrounding development.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) because it is consistent with the adopted plans and surrounding development.

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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. Since the early 2000s, development in the surrounding area has included a mix of residential, office, and small-scale commercial uses. Residential developments include single-family, two-family, and multi-family developments. Commercial and office uses have been concentrated east of the subject property along E Inskip Drive and Central Avenue Pike.
2. In 2013, the subject property was part of a larger downzoning from the R-2 (General Residential) district to the R1-A (Low Density Residential) district (11-F-13-RZ) following a resolution from Knoxville City Council (R-161-2013) requesting that Planning review all residential land in the Inskip neighborhood and consider a potential rezoning to a low density residential district to preserve the integrity, history and stability of the neighborhood. The resolution was motivated by findings of the 2011 Inskip Small Area Plan, which found a significant number of areas within the Inskip community where zoning designations and neighborhood character were misaligned. The plan recommended rezoning these properties to a low density residential zone to preserve neighborhood character and mitigate the encroachment of more intense residential and commercial development in established neighborhoods. The RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) zoning district was not available when the small area plan was adopted, but it would be more suitable here because of the property's location on the corner of a major collector street, rather than deeper into the neighborhood's local streets.
3. Zoning in the area has remained relatively stable, with gradual increases in intensity consistent with the surrounding area, with minor shifts from RN-1 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) to the RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) and O (Office) zoning districts.
4. All three lots included in this rezoning request are 50 ft wide and have an area of less than 10,000 sq ft. The minimum lot area in the RN-1 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) zoning district is 10,000 sq ft, and the minimum lot width requirement is 75 ft. In contrast, the RN-4 (General Residential Neighborhood) district requires a minimum lot width of 50 ft and a minimum lot area of 5,000 sq ft for a single-family dwelling.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSES OF THIS CODE.
1. The RN-4 zoning district is intended to accommodate mixed medium-density residential development and applies to neighborhoods characterized by such mixed residential development. The subject property meets the intent of the RN-4 district, as it is situated at the corner of a residential block that features a mix of residential uses, the Inskip Baptist Church, and a barber shop.
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-4 district permits single-family, two-family, townhouses, and low-rise multifamily dwellings. Inskip Drive is a major collector that already features more intensive types of residential development. The requested RN-4 district would provide a transition in intensity from the apartment buildings and condos to the south across the street and the single-family homes to the north. Limited nonresidential uses compatible with the district's residential character are also permitted.

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. The RN-4 district allows a mix of residential uses up to small townhouse or multifamily developments of modest intensity. The district requires special use approval for townhouse developments with 9 or more units and multi-family structures with 5 or more units, providing transparency and allowing public input during the plan review process.

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 within the Inskip Small Area Plan and designated MU-SD, NC-11 (Mixed Use Special District, Inskip Small Area Plan) in the One Year Plan and North City Sector Plan. The NC-11 special district recommends uses consistent with the MDR (Medium Density Residential) land use classification, which permits the RN-4 district.
2. The proposed rezoning complies 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. The dimensional standards and permitted uses allowed by right in the RN-4 district are consistent with the development patterns along Scheel Road and E Inskip Drive. The more intensive residential development types allowed in the district would require special use approval to ensure the context of the development does not disrupt the established transition in the land use intensity between the more intensive developments to the north and the less intense, single-family and two-family residential development to the west.

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. A Knoxville Area Transit bus stop is directly across the street from the subject property.
2. Inskip Elementary School is approximately 700 ft to the south.