Frazier July Zoning Meeting Notes / Comments

Commissioners,

Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend the July Commission Zoning Meeting due to a family reunion trip that was planned prior to the change of our zoning meetings. I deeply apologize to each of you and all of my constituents for missing this meeting.

Following are my notes and comments regarding the zonings on our July agenda. I hope that you will take some time to read over them and consider them.

Points of interest:

The Existing Land Use – ELU or LU (as classified in obsolete Sector Plans) is provided in the report.
The Comp Plan New Land Use or Place Type – FLUM or Comp Plan LU or LU, is not. I have cross referenced the requested zoning with the current land use to determine if the zoning is directly related, partially related, or not related within the land use place type. Appendix H. not only contains the zoning / flum matrix but the criteria for assessing the zones within the place type. If a zone is partially related, certain improvements or conditions may be necessary to make the zone compatible at that location according to the place type.

There is has been a lot of discussion during the Comp Plan meetings about rezonings and how infrastructure played into the consideration of a requested zone. As discussed, road infrastructure is now one of the considerations of a rezoning (it falls under the “availability of public facilities and services” cited in number 2 under review criteria). Note that it is a review criteria for all rezonings – not just the zones that are partially related, as was mentioned during the meeting. The criteria can be found in Appendix A-H.

Additionally, Number 3 under the review criteria section provides the authority to attach certain types of conditions. Examples of this could include if the imposed conditions would ensure compatibility with the plan or address some aspect of the request (buffering a residential area from a commercial zone, for example). The Knox County Law Department has said a condition can be attached to a rezoning as long as the condition is not restricting a use. For example, if a zone allows a certain use, you could not restrict that use from occurring on the property as a condition of the rezoning.

1. 6-C-24-RZ 9419 Dutchtown Road. Ag to RA/LDR at 4 du/acre. .88 acres within the PGA. Existing Land Use is SFR. Future Land Use Map is SMR (Suburban Mixed Residential). RA is directly related to SMR. Within the PRZ zone. RA does not require a development plan. Minimum lot size requirement of 10000sf ft equates to 3 lots. Surrounding development is A,RA, PR at 3-4 du/acre. CAK is across the street. What is the intended use? How many total dwellings? There is an error in the staff report – reference to Gibbs School and Tazewell Pike. This lot is immediately adjacent to a very large sinkhole, they will need to consider this when placing homes and ensure the finish floor elevations are above the overflow to prevent structural flooding.

2. 6-G-24-RZ 8237 Collier Road. Ag to RA/LDR. 1.64 acres within the PGA. Existing Land Use is SFR. FLUM is Suburban Residential. RA is directly related to Suburban Residential. Rear of parcel is HPA. Blue stream requires a buffer on either side. Is access planned from Collier or Ponderosa? Collier Road is an unstriped street, it is 18-ft wide and only approximately 8,000 ft long and connects a major collector on the north. Has the applicant reached out to the existing residents to discuss access? Surrounding development is SFR, R at 2-3 du/acre. Min lot size of 10k sg ft equates to 4 du/acre on 7 lots. What is the intended use? Would this align with existing development? There is an error in the staff report – reference to Gibbs School and Tazewell Pike.

3. 6-H-24-RZ 8519 Strawberry Plains Pike. PR to Ag. 4.74 acres within the PGA. Existing Land Use is Industrial. FLUM is Rural Conservation. Ag is directly related to RC. Old Sector Plan indicates LDR at 5du/acre. Includes 38.8 acres on both sides of Straw Plains. Blue line stream requires a buffer on either side. 69% of parcel is HP. .1 miles from Carter Schools and .5 miles from Carter Community Center.

4. 6-K-24-RZ 7915 Griffith Road. Ag to RA/LDR. 1.83 acres within PGA. ELU is SFR. FLUM is Suburban Residential. RA is directly related to SR. This property is accessed off Griffith Road at a point 284 ft to the west of Hill Road, a minor collector, so no traffic would be required through residential streets to access the property. Griffith Road on the end near Hill Road is quite narrow, approximately 14 feet wide. The first 150 ft of the parcel’s frontage on Griffith Road is in the Halls Elementary Parental Responsibility Zone, so sidewalks may be required. Surrounded by SFR, Ag, RA. 10k sf ft equates to 4du/acre on 7 lots. There is an error in the staff report – reference to Gibbs School and Tazewell Pike.

5. 6-M-24-RZ 8511 Howell Lane. Ag to PR 2du/acre. 5.24acres within the PGA. ELU is Af. FLUM is Rural Living. PR at 2du/acre is partially related to Rural Living and conditions and improvements should be required to make PR compatible. Howell Lane is 12’ wide unstriped. 10 total units. Surrounding development is Ag, SFR. PR does require a development plan. Where is proposed access…Howell or Foust? The staff report is absent of roads specs. This needs to be included to determine if improvements should be required of the applicant. I recommend widening the determined road access, resurface and stripe, according to EPW guidance.

6. 6-U-24-RZ 1013 and 1033 Lovell Road. OB, Ag, TO to CA, TO. 12.06 acres within the PGA. ELU is SFR, Ag. FLUM is Corridor Mixed Use where CA is only partially related and improvements should be required to make CA compatible. TTCDA requires slope conservation in the HP area and a site/ grading plan. I would suggest requiring the grading plan prior to the development plan approval. Near the Episcopal Church. Surrounding development is Ag forest and SFR. Why not TC or OA or OB which are directly related? CA is partially related and should require conditions or improvements to make CA compatible under the Comp Plan. The applicant proposed a traffic signal across the street at Cornerstone, but TDOT/KC didn’t agree that it was warranted. The addition of this commercial may require a light – TIA will be needed to codify the needs.

7. 6-T-24-RZ 0 Asheville Hwy. PC to PR 12du/acre. 10.24 acres within the UGA. ELU is Ag. FLUM is Corridor Mixed Use. PR in CMU is partially related and conditions and improvements should be required to make PR compatible. 122 total units. 2 miles from Carter Schools. What is the intended use? Surrounding development is Ag, CA, RR. TDOT will not permit median cut, will be right in/right out.

8. 6-A-24-RZ 7639 Gibbs Road. Ag to RA/LDR. .72 acres within the PGA / RA. ELU is SFR. FLUM is Suburban Residential. PR in Suburban Residential is partially related and conditions and improvements should be required to make PR compatible. RA does not require a development plan. 10k ft equates to 4du/acres on 3 lots. What is a “flag stem” or access strip? The parcel would not have dual zoning after the final plat was approved. When are the proposed improvements to Tazewell Pike going to be completed and will those improvements line up with this project?

9. 6-D-24-RZ 11120 Hardin Valley Road. PR 1du/acre to PR 2du/acre. 2.09 acres in the Rural Area. ELU is Ag. FLUM is Traditional Neighborhood. PR is partially related in TN and conditions and improvements should be required to make PR compatible. 4 dwellings total. HP is the rear of this parcel. 6 opposition comments. Surrounding development is R, Ag, SFR. I do not support the requested density change from 1 du/acre to 2du/acre.

10. 6-L-24-RZ 11326 Sam Lee Rd. Ag to PR at 8du/acre. 49.86 acres within the PGA. ELU is Ag. FLUM is Traditional neighborhood. PR is partially related in TN and conditions and improvements should be required to make PR compatible. 4 dwellings total. Sinkholes and a blue line stream requiring a buffer on either side is present. .65acres is Rural Conservation. PR is partially related in RC. Surrounding development is Ag, SFR low density. Sam Lee and Steele Road cannot support 3251 average daily vehicle trips. The cumulative impact of development on Sam Lee has exceeded the road’s capacity – I asked Director Snowden and Director Brooks to pull the cumulative impact on Sam Lee resulting from the numerous developments along this corridor. All HV schools are at capacity and cannot support the addition of even 22 students. What residential amenities are referenced? I suggest requiring a condition to widen Sam Lee to 20’, including final asphalt surface and striping, along the entirety of the development’s property frontage and to the intersection of Sam Lee and Steele Rd prior to recording the plat. I support the current zoning to ensure that development aligns in character and form with the area. Ag up to 2du/acre is more appropriate with conditions for road improvements.

11. 6-N-24-RZ 8813 Ball Camp Pike. PR 5du/acre to PR 12du/acre. 4.01 acres within the PGA. ELU is RR. FLUM is Suburban Mixed Residential. PR is partially related in the SMR place type and conditions and improvements should be required to make PR compatible. 43 total units. 447 average daily vehicle trips. Surrounding development is SFR. Does this request align in character and form? This parcel fronts the new Schaad Road and when completed will have a median that restricts movement to right in/right out, EPW will not grant a median opening.

12. 1-K-24-RZ 8744 Chapman Highway. RA/LDR to PR 3du/acre. 103 acres within the PGA. Staff recommended 2 du/acre based on the slope analysis of 1.97du/acre that indicates 79 acres are in the Hillside Protection area and 6.2 acres are in a stream protection area. The ELU is Ag. The Comp Plan FLUM is Traditional Neighborhood. PR in Traditional Neighborhood is partially related so conditions and improvements should be included to make PR compatible. The least environmentally constrained portion is facing White School Road which is 16’-18’ wide. Access to the property should be determined with discussion and an additional condition imposed to widen either White School Road or Evans Rd (whichever is proposed to be an entrance) from 16’, 18’ to 20’, including final asphalt surface and striping, along the entirety of the development’s property frontage and to the next connecting road/street prior to recording the plat. Neither road can support 2849 average daily vehicle trips. The number of proposed units is a question that I would ask to determine the number of entrances. I also support the staff recommendation of 2du/acre and the 2 conditions noted with the additional condition regarding road improvements.

13. 5-K-24-RZ 2814 Tipton Station. Ag to PR up to 5du/acre. 85.81 acres within the PGA. Extension of adjacent zoning. Existing land use is Ag. Comp Plan Land Use is Rural Conservation. PR is partially related in Rural Conservation and conditions and requirements should be included to make PR compatible. Bonny Kate, Park and library are within 1 mile east. At the requested density of 5 du/ac on this 85.81-acre property, a maximum of 429 dwelling units could be built. A maximum of 171 dwelling units could be built under the recommended density of 2 du/ac. 3. Along Tipton Station Road, the nearest property with PR at 5-du/ac density has been developed yielding a density of 2.56 du/ac (Tipton Station subdivision, approximately 1.7-mile east). Other nearby neighborhoods with PR at 3 to 4 du/ac densities are within walking distance to Bonny Kate Elementary and South Doyle High School and have sidewalk connections. SFR and RR on all sides. With these considerations, the recommended density of 2 du/ac is more appropriate for this property. The subject property has only one potential access point at Tipton Station Road. What is the width of Tipton Station? For emergency services, secondary access is typically discussed for residential developments over 150 units. I suggest adding a secondary access.

14. 6-S-24-RZ 7920 and 8014 Asheville Highway. 49.18 acres within the UGA. Existing Land Use is Ag, RR. Comp Plan LU is Corridor Mixed Use. At the requested density of 5 du/ac, this property could have up to 245 dwellings. PR is partially related in Corridor Mixed Use and should require conditions and improvement to make PR compatible. This property is within the Parental Responsibility Zone for Carter Elementary on Strawberry Plains Pike. Future development may be required to provide sidewalks along the frontage of Strawberry Plains Pike per Knox County Sidewalk Ordinance. Ag and RR on all sides. Due to number of dwellings, emergency service access is a concern and more than one should be required. 2301 average daily vehicle trips – what additional stress will this place on this area of Straw Plains and Asheville Hwy? Depending on access, may require auxiliary lanes at both Asheville Highway and Strawberry Plains.

15. 4-N-24-RZ 7505 Blacks Ferry Rd. Ag to PR at 5du. 8.1 acres within PGA. Existing land use is RR. Comp Plan LU is Rural Conservation. PR in the RC is partially related so conditions and improvements should be required to make PR compatible. PR caps at 5du / acre partially related. Staff recommended 4 du/acre. RR and SFR on all sides. New residential subdivisions with access to Blacks Ferry Road have been limited. There are 3.9 acres of hillside protection area comprised almost entirely of slopes less than 25 percent, with more than half being less than 15 percent. The recommended density from the slope analysis is 4.37 du/ac. There are two potential blue line streams that cross the property and converge in the northeast corner near Blacks Ferry Road. These environmental considerations align with the intent of the PR zone to develop in the least constrained portions of the property by allowing clustered/conservation residential development. The applicant requested PR with a density of 5 du/ac. Staff recommends the PR zone because of the environmental constraints on the property, and a density of 4 du/ac because it is consistent with recent rezonings in the area. The current A (Agricultural) zoning has a minimum 1-acre lot size. The Blacks Ferry Road intersection at W Emory Road does not have adequate sight distance and presents a potential safety hazard if additional vehicular traffic is added to this road. The 2016 Northwest County Sector Plan references a project to add a center turn lane to W Emory Road from Oak Ridge Highway to Clinton Highway; however, this project is no longer in the Mobility Plan. Blacks Ferry Road is approximately 16-18 ft wide. 434 average additional daily vehicle trips. Can this road support that? The recommended maximum density of 4 du/ac is consistent with the General Plan’s development policy 9.3, which calls to ensure that the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, does not impact existing neighborhoods and communities. We would like to see the sight distance issue corrected, possibly with a TDOT/KC/Developer partnership as well as the road widened to 20 ft.

16. Postponed 4-H-24-RZ 0 Red Hellard and 10022 Bob Gray. .67 acre in PGA. PR 5du to RA/LDR. ELU is Ag. Comp Plan LU is Suburban Mixed Residential. RA is directly related in SMR. RA Multi family on all sides. In the RA zone, the minimum lot size for a lot with a single family dwelling is 10,000 sq-ft if sewer is provided. The RA zone allows duplexes and garage apartments on the same lot as a house, with Use on Review approval by the Planning Commission. Built at maximum capacity, each lot could be built with up to 2 units for a total of 4 units. 3. The RA zone would allow the properties to be developed using the setback requirements of the RA zone instead of those of the PR zone. The PR zone has a 35-ft peripheral boundary that would be applicable on the northern boundary of the northernmost lot. I would like to see a development plan. Has there been additional community meetings to discuss access points? EPW staff was meeting with the applicant.