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In this Chapter:

This section of the General Plan contains development policies that support each of the ten major ideas of the Agenda for Quality Growth. These written and graphic policies advocate actions that will help to fulfill the communities’ vision for Knoxville and Knox County. They are intended to improve the appearance and function of public and private development, conserve scenic and heritage assets, preserve property values and build on Knox County’s image as a great place to live and work.

 

1. Develop a Strong Economy.

1.1
 Increase the competitive position of Knoxville for the retention and attraction of business activities.
1.2
 Ensure that Knoxville and Knox County continues to offer the land, roads, utilities, work force, and business climate needed to support economic growth.
1.3
 Provide incentives for new industrial development and for redevelopment or rehabilitation of older industrial facilities.
1.4
 Provide government assistance in land consolidation, financing and industrial recruitment when rehabilitating the city’s industrial areas.
1.5
 Capitalize on Knoxville and Knox County’s business assets, skilled work force, easily accessible transportation network, educational incentives and excellent quality of life as marketing assets
1.6
 Capitalize on tourism opportunities, including University of Tennessee sports teams and proximity to the Smoky Mountains.
1.7
 Establish Knoxville and Knox County as a center for technological research and development, building upon the existing base of technological industries and personnel.
1.8
 Coordinate utility service extensions to attract new jobs to Knoxville and Knox County.

2. Provide Transportation Choices for All Citizens.

2.1
 Integrate pedestrian, bicycle, transit and automobile modes in developing a comprehensive transportation system.
2.2
 Improve the continuity of the urban and regional thoroughfare system.
2.3
 Acquire rights-of-way for future transportation projects well in advance of construction.
2.4
 Allow narrower local roads to conserve open space and improve air quality.
2.5
 Implement transportation improvements at frequent crash locations.
2.6
 Discourage through-traffic in residential neighborhoods by routing arterial streets and highways outside neighborhoods.
2.7
 Whenever possible, emphasize low-cost solutions to traffic problems, as opposed to new construction or capital acquisition.
2.8
 Develop a transit system, including trolleys, buses and potential light rail.
2.9
 Provide paratransit services to elderly and handicapped citizens that are comparable in quality to fixed-route bus services.
2.10
 Provide facilities and programs to encourage ride sharing.
2.11
 Develop a transportation center in downtown Knoxville.
2.12
 Include separated sidewalks and landscaping as a part of new construction or widening of all thoroughfares.
2.13
 Review development plans to ensure pedestrian needs are being met and that the sidewalk network’s continuity is being achieved, especially in the school parental responsibility zones.
2.14
 Create transportation corridors and centers that can efficiently handle the movement of goods, including truck, rail, water, and air transportation.

 

3. Build on Knoxville’s Role as a Regional Capitol.

3.1
 Work with other East Tennessee cities and counties to pursue common regional economic interests.
3.2
 Ensure that proper information and communication infrastructures are in place for the region to compete in the 21st century business world.
3.3
 Cooperate with other local governments to create a regional open space and greenway system between Knoxville and the Smoky Mountains.
3.4
 Work with federal, state and local governments to improve air quality and other environmental issues on a regional basis.
3.5

Conserve the natural assets that make this region attractive and enhance the quality of life.

 

 

4. Understand the Building Blocks: Neighborhoods, Districts, Corridors and Communities in the Region.

4.1
 Use schools and parks as foundations in planning neighborhoods and communities.
4.2
 Require vehicular and pedestrian connections between subdivisions to encourage safe access to community facilities and to reduce reliance on the automobile.
4.3
 Develop and use guidelines to foster good architectural design, landscaping, and aesthetically-pleasing streetscapes
4.4
 Use landscaping, signage, and architecture to identify significant entrances to communities, neighborhoods, and business districts.
4.5
 Avoid creating small, isolated pockets of residential development; encourage neighborhoods large enough to support cost-effective provision of community facilities and services and to maintain a strong residential quality and stability.
4.6
 Provide support for the development of neighborhood and community organizations.
4.7
 Continue to develop new ways for citizens to receive information and to voice opinions regarding neighborhood and community issues.
4.8
 Train local government staffs and appointed boards to be supportive of neighborhood revitalization and to be responsive to the neighborhood’s opinions on development and revitalization plans for their areas.
4.9
 Enhance the quality of special districts such as the university, the Old City, Emory Place and Bearden Village.
4.10
 Support downtown Knoxville’s growth as a regional center of entertainment, professional services, government, and finance.
4.11
 Encourage housing and employment growth downtown to expand the market for retail, restaurants, and other services.
4.12
 Provide incentives for residential reuse of vacant downtown buildings.
4.13
 Enhance highway corridors by landscaping, creating attractive architecture, providing pedestrian-friendly atmosphere and eliminating visual clutter.

 

5. Make Strategic Community Investments.

5.1
 Coordinate new utility services with development of roads, schools, employment centers, shopping areas and recreation sites to encourage efficient development patterns and limit sprawl.
5.2
 Encourage development in areas with excess utility capacity, or in areas where utilities may be easily extended.
5.3
 Plan far in advance for land acquisition, financing and design of neighborhood-serving community facilities: roads, schools, parks, utilities, and public buildings.
5.4
 Use existing and future public land to create greenways and parks.
5.5
 Use greenways to link parks, schools, and other public facilities.
5.6
 Emphasize park acquisition along potential greenways.
5.7
 Meet minimum national standards in providing neighborhood, community and district park space.
5.8
 Meet the needs of individuals who are physically challenged.
5.9
 Locate and design facilities for athletic competition in such a way that they do not detract from nearby neighborhoods.
5.10
 Locate new schools on relatively flat land central to the areas being served. Elementary schools should be located on collector roads, middle and high schools should be located on arterial roads.
5.11
 Establish school-park complexes and acquire park land adjacent to future school sites.
5.12
 Expand the use of schools for other community purposes.
5.13
 Continue school reuse, renovation, and maintenance programs. Abandoned schools should be used for neighborhood serving public purposes.
5.14
 Locate new branch libraries in visually prominent sites that are centrally located to communities.
5.15
 Continue to maintain the regional library downtown.
5.16
 Provide and maintain an adequate system of fire hydrants, water lines and fire stations.

 

6. Respect and Nurture Our Heritage Areas.

6.1
 Encourage flexible, planned development zones to protect hillsides, woodlands, wildlife habitats, and stream corridors.
6.2
 Compliment natural land forms when grading, and minimize grading on steep slopes and within floodways.
6.3
 Encourage development in areas with the fewest environmental constraints.
6.4
 Allow clustered development in rural areas to preserve farms, open space and rural character.
6.5
 Protect and enhance monumental buildings, public open spaces, bridges and similar physical features that contribute to Knoxville’s identity.
6.6
 Encourage the reuse of vacant and underutilized historic resources.
6.7
 Use historic zoning and conservation districts to protect neighborhoods.
6.8
 Protect the scenic vistas of ridges and valleys.
6.9
 Set aside greenways along streams and ridges to protect floodplains, stream sides and steep slopes.
6.10
 Develop a metropolitan forestry program to conserve and reestablish trees and woodlands.
6.11
 Strengthen the Scenic Highways Program regulations and enforcement.
6.12
 Create community facilities and commercial services that are in keeping with the scale and character of the surrounding rural area, using the rural commercial zone.

 

7. Reclaim Our Rights to Clean Air and Water.

7.1
 Meet state and federal water quality standards.
7.2
 Protect water resources by reducing pollution and retaining trees and ground cover on ridges and near streams, rivers, lakes and sinkholes.
7.3
 Create wetlands and naturally landscaped retention basins to slow down rapid runoff and reduce pollutant discharges.
7.4
 Strengthen stormwater and flood protection standards, particularly in flood-prone drainage basins.
7.5
 Protect the natural drainage systems associated with floodways and floodplains.
7.6
 Restrict development on slopes greater than 15% and along streams and rivers. Housing densities on 15 – 25 % slopes: 2 dwelling units per acre. Housing density on slopes greater than 25%: 1 dwelling unit per 2 acres. Non-residential uses on slopes over 15%: via a planned development zone. Floodplains: Limit uses to 50% of flood fringe area.
7.7

Provide trees and minimize impervious surfaces when developing parking lots.

7.8
 Encourage development in areas with adequate sanitary sewer lines, and improve existing systems to eliminate sanitary sewer overflow.
7.9
 Meet state and federal standards regarding all air pollutants, particularly ozone and toxic air emissions.
7.10
 Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
7.11
 Create programs that reduce air pollution by promoting alternatives to automobile travel.
7.12
 Develop land use patterns and infrastructure that encourage trip reduction.

 

8. Encourage Growth in the Existing Urban Area.

8.1
 Develop “infill” housing on vacant lots and redevelopment parcels. Infill housing should be compatible with neighboring residences in scale, design, and site layout.
8.2
 Locate neighborhood commercial so that it will enhance, rather than hinder, the stability of residential areas.
8.3
 Focus on design quality and neighborhood compatibility in reviewing development proposals.
8.4
 Protect residential areas from encroaching commercial development and other incompatible uses.
8.5
 Protect neighborhoods from intrusive uses, declining public facilities, and other blighting influences.
8.6
 Promote crime prevention through design that emphasizes visibility and neighborhood protection.
8.7
 Avoid the concentration of halfway houses, boarding houses, day care centers, and publicly assisted rental housing in any given neighborhood.
8.8
 Support the efforts of government, neighborhoods and nonprofit organizations to address housing issues, particularly housing rehabilitation.
8.9
 Promote the development of small scale planned business parks in the central city, making sure there is no significant adverse impacts on residential neighborhoods.
8.10
 Encourage redevelopment of obsolete commercial strip space by providing incentives for “infill” rather than greenfield development.
8.11
 Improve the appearance of existing commercial strips by encouraging better landscaping and fewer signs.
8.12
 When commercial uses abut residential property, ordinance provisions or use-on-review conditions requiring fencing, landscaping screens, earthberms, height restrictions, and/or deeper than usual building setbacks can improve land use transitions. (See Exhibit 5.)

Exhibit 5: Commercial Uses Abutting Residential Property

commercial uses

9. Build Sustainable New Neighborhoods.

9.1
 Encourage creative use of the flexibility offered in planned residential zones to develop alternative neighborhood forms, such as traditional neighborhood developments, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods, and neighborhoods designed to take advantage of mass transit.
9.2
 Encourage development practices that respect and fit the natural landscape, minimizing the loss of trees, woodlands and wildlife habitat.
9.3
 Ensure that the context of new development, including scale and compatibility, does not impact existing neighborhoods and communities.
9.4
 Provide incentives for conservation subdivisions, to set aside large portions of open space and protect natural resources.
9.5
 Avoid locating residences or other noise-sensitive land uses in locations that will be subject to excessive noise.
9.6
 Improve standards for public and private development to reduce noise and to foster light abatement.
9.7
 Reduce visual clutter by improving sign regulations and encouraging underground utility lines.
9.8
 Encourage a mixture of housing sizes and prices within planned residential developments.
9.8
 Encourage village centers as the preferred form of retail development, and use the neighborhood commercial zones to provide day-to-day services near residential areas.
9.10
 Encourage commercial and office development that improves the form and function of traditional “strip” development patterns.
.911
 Locate community-serving commercial areas where they can be easily shared by several neighborhoods.
9.12
 Locate day care centers and other neighborhood services at the edges of neighborhoods or in village centers. Locate freestanding day care facilities (those serving six or more children) on the perimeter of residential areas, on arterial or collector streets, in a manner which will not adversely affect surrounding properties.

 

10. Development Decisions Should be Predictable, Fair and Cost Effective.

10.1
 Encourage creative site layouts by providing flexibility and incentives in zoning regulations.
10.2
 Facilitate better communication and provide impartial technical assistance and arbitration between neighborhood organizations, government offices and developers where needed.
10.3
 Involve school, police and fire officials in land use planning at the sector, neighborhood, and site plan levels.
10.4
 Rigorously enforce zoning regulations and conditions of approval to maintain public confidence in the planned development process.
10.5
 Use “as-built” plans and engineering inspections to insure that developments are built according to approved designs, requiring certification that projects are built as planned.
10.6
 Provide site design flexibility to developers who provide amenities such as recreation areas, trails, sidewalks, streetlights, underground utilities or exceptional architectural or landscape design treatments.
10.7
 Provide incentives for developers to include some affordable units in higher cost developments.
10.8
 Base land development policies and regulations on an awareness of the ever changing character of the housing market.
10.9
 Avoid creating zoning boundaries that result in unlike uses directly facing each other. (See Exhibit 6.)
10.10
 Once transitional zoning patterns are in place, keep them intact; do not compromise buffer zones by rezoning them commercial.
10.11
 Allow higher densities, smaller yards and narrower lots for portions of planned developments that do not abut or face conventional suburban developments. In exchange, deeper setbacks, wider lots or landscape buffers shall be provided where the new development abuts lower density housing.

 

Exhibit 6: Zoning Boundaries

zoning 1

A bad situation: Zoning boundaries at front property lines cause unlike uses to face each other, often creating visual conflicts and affecting residential uses with intense noise and traffic.

zoning 2

This situation, while better than the one at left, can cause visual and noise conflicts, which can be reduced by landscaping or other buffers.

zoning 3

This arrangement, with zoning boundaries along rear lot lines, causes unlike uses to face away from each other, reducing intense noise, visual, and other conflicts.

 

11. Additional Development Policies

11.1
 Environmental constraints and the availability of utilities, drainage, and transportation are factors in setting standards for the densities of residential developments.
11.2

The density for residential development will be based upon the amount of usable acreage, excluding areas which are under water, in floodways, have steep slopes, or are otherwise undevelopable. Rural, planned growth and urban growth boundaries also influence density. These areas are designated in the Knoxville-Knox County-Farragut Growth Policy Plan. (See Planning Framework for more information.) The following general standards will be applied in setting densities for residential development, providing these densities do not conflict with other policies in this plan:

  • Up to one unit per acre in rural areas with environmental constraints or infrastructure inadequate for greater densities.
  • Low-density 1 to 3 du/ac in rural areas with infrastructure.
  • Low-density 1 to 5 du/ac in planned growth areas.
  • Low-density 1 to 6 du/ac within the City of Knoxville.
  • Medium-density 6 to 12 du/ac in planned growth and urban growth areas; appropriate along collector or arterial roads, waterfronts, and as buffer zones between lower density residential and more intense uses.
  • Medium-density 6 to 24 du/ac in urban growth areas adjacent to neighborhood and community centers.
  • High-density over 24 du/ac, appropriate in downtown and UT area, and in regional activity centers; should have good access to transit.
11.3
 Discourage environmental nuisances in the vicinity of residential development, including rundown commercial development, noxious industrial uses, railroad tracks, noise and fumes from heavy traffic volumes, large storage tanks of gas, oil and other flammable materials, smoke, noise, offensive odors, vibrations, dust, or glare from nearby or distant uses.
11.4
 Create gradual zoning transition patterns by placing medium intensity zones and uses such as offices, condominiums, and community buildings in between single-family residential areas and higher intensity uses. Require landscaping, screening, earth berms, walls and similar techniques to separate incompatible land uses when gradual zoning transition patterns are not possible. (See Exhibit 7.)
11.5
 Avoid abrupt, incompatible changes in density, scale, and building appearance from one development to another.
11.6

Office developments meeting the following standards should be allowed in buffer zones between residential neighborhoods and more intense uses in conventional suburban developments:

  • residential architectural style
  • building height limited to 36 feet
  • site coverage no more than 35 percent
  • parking areas well landscaped and screened from any abutting residences
  • landscape screens or architectural quality walls or fencing along any property line abutting single-family residences
  • low, monument style or wall mounted signs
  • special attention to locations of parking lots, trash receptacles and outdoor lighting to avoid impacts on residential neighbors
11.7

Mid-rise office buildings (four to eight stories) should be allowed next to commercial or light industrial areas, along freeway corridors, on or around the University of Tennessee campus, on or around major hospital sites, and in the Central Business District, subject to the following standards:

  • Avoid blocking major scenic vistas.
  • If the site abuts low-rise residential development, it should be large enough to provide large building setbacks along the residential property line.
  • Buildings should not be close enough to residences to cast shadows or block sunlight.
  • Stepped-back building facades should be considered.
  • Consideration of mass, scale and style of surrounding development in building and site design.
11.8
 High-rise office buildings (nine stories or more) should be limited to the Central Business District.
11.9
 Locate new industrial development primarily in industrial parks, business parks or other suitably planned settings of ten acres or greater, with locations for technology-based industry less restricted than general or heavy industry.
11.10

Locate business parks on sites which are:

  • relatively flat and require minimal physical alteration • regular in shape and sufficiently large for the proposed activity
  • have direct access to arterial roads and where appropriate, to rail lines
  • prohibit access via residential streets
  • developed in a manner compatible with adjacent existing or proposed land uses
  • served by power, water, gas, sanitary sewer and waste disposal facilities

 

Exhibit 7: Gradual Zoning Transitions


Good transitions in zoning and land use are the best way to avoid having highly incompatible uses too close to each other.

Buffer districts, which allow uses that are compatible with residential property, can help achieve effective land use transitions.

Institutional or public uses with large open spaces (hospitals, parks, cemeteries) can make excellent buffers.

 

 

 

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