Knoxville-Knox County
General Plan 2033
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Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission
Assembled by OpenPublica from the documents it serves for this government. Each section below is a separate publication by the government, and its page numbers are that section's own. We have pinned 1 slot here, so an element absent from this file may simply not have been reviewed yet.
Knoxville-Knox County
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Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission
The municipality is committed to providing residents with equitable access to community facilities and services that support healthy living, social interaction, and lifelong learning.
The City maintains a comprehensive inventory of community facilities, including libraries, community centres, indoor and outdoor recreational facilities, and cultural venues. The current strategy focuses on:
Effective planning for social infrastructure requires accurate data and ongoing consultation. The following table outlines the current level of service provision for core community facilities.
| Facility Type | Service Standard | Current Inventory |
|---|---|---|
| Libraries | 1 per 30,000 residents | 8 branches |
| Community Centres | 1 per 25,000 residents | 12 facilities |
| Indoor Pools | 1 per 50,000 residents | 6 facilities |
| Ice Rinks | 1 per 40,000 residents | 7 facilities |
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The City will monitor service levels on an annual basis to ensure that community infrastructure keeps pace with population growth1. Projects are evaluated against the following criteria:
Monitoring includes assessment of utilization rates, demographic shifts, and emerging trends in recreation and community programming. ↩
Adopted by:
Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission April 10, 2003
Knoxville City Council May 12, 2003
Knox County Commission May 27, 2003
Amended by the Knoxville-Knox County Park, Recreation and Greenways Plan adopted by MPC on July 9, 2009, by County Commission on January 25, 2010, and by City Council on January 26, 2010.
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Introduction....................................................................................................1
Vision Statement............................................................................................5
Agenda for Quality Growth........................................................................15
Action Proposals..........................................................................................39
Plan Elements ............................................................................................49
Planning Framework ..................................................................................53
Development Policies .................................................................................61
List of Exhibits and Maps
Exhibit 1: Planning Framework.................................................................55
Exhibit 2: Diagram for Neighborhood Development ................................56
Exhibit 3: Local Example of Neighborhood Concepts..............................57
Exhibit 4: Future Land Use Plan ...............................................................59
Exhibit 5: Commercial Uses Abutting Residential Property....................66
Exhibit 6: Zoning Boundaries ....................................................................68
Exhibit 7: Gradual Zoning Transitions ......................................................69
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Over 200 years ago, pioneer families made decisions that shaped the future development of Knoxville and Knox County. Early settlers acted as town planners and developers, locating and laying out new settlements, adapting old Indian trails and military roads, and giving names to communities, ridges, roads and creeks.
Their planning legacy is still with us today. Locating Knoxville on a bluff above the Tennessee River, laying out the new city with a gridiron street pattern, and making transportation connections to places such as Asheville, Kingston, and Tazewell were all conscious, deliberate decisions. These decisions were based on a sound planning process: look around to identify problems and opportunities; develop some alternatives; make a decision, and take action.
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The first Knoxville town planners designed the city on a grid system that we still utilize more than 200 years later.
It is unlikely that these pioneers could have imagined that Knoxville and surrounding hamlets would one day grow into a metropolitan complex with nearly 400,000 inhabitants spread over 525 square miles. It is even less likely they could have foreseen that each year a land area more than 50 times the size of the original Knoxville town site would be developed.
In the year 2001 Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) staff began working with groups of citizens who recognize the importance of planning for the future. These efforts resulted in an updated General Plan for Knoxville and Knox County. The core of the plan is the Agenda for Quality Growth—a vision statement and guiding principles for preserving the best aspects of our quality of life and making Knoxville’s future an even better place. The vision and principles are backed up by a short but ambitious list of projects and proposals for improving the economy, environment and quality of life of Knoxville and Knox County.
The General Plan also serves as an umbrella document that incorporates more specialized plans, including sector plans, facility plans and small area plans. These elements provide more specific guidance for plan implementation, community development and capital improvements financing.
As the official 30-year comprehensive plan for Knoxville and Knox County, the General Plan outlines a long-range vision and policy framework for physical and economic development. The plan is a cooperative effort, created through a public participation process that involved community members with varied viewpoints and interests.
The proposals in this plan confront problems such as suburban sprawl, traffic and loss of green space by proposing compact growth in the suburbs, aggressive revitalization of the central area of the city, protection of existing neighborhoods and conservation of rural land. The plan also recognizes that economic development and quality of life are inseparable. Creating quality neighborhoods, schools, parks and public spaces requires a strong, sustainable economy.
This plan represents—in words and pictures—a preferred future for Knoxville and Knox County.
The plan offers an ambitious, but realistic vision of what Knoxville and Knox County can become over the next three decades. It gives the MPC, the Knox County Commission and the Knoxville City Council a policy framework for making day-to-day decisions about the timing, location, character and extent of development. The plan identifies areas that should be conserved and areas that can be responsibly used to meet the needs of our growing population. By providing a long-range perspective, it helps the city and county governments anticipate changes in services and capital improvements that citizens will expect.
The plan gives the private sector a statement of the intent of the Planning Commission and the city and county governments regarding future growth and revitalization. The ongoing public participation process provides a way to involve business people, neighborhood groups and citizens in making development recommendations to the Planning Commission and governing bodies.
The Tennessee planning enabling legislation requires that any planning commission or municipality with a zoning ordinance prepare a general plan. The plan must, at a minimum, address the general location, character and extent of development. The planning enabling act also requires any planning commission that has adopted subdivision regulations to prepare a major thoroughfare plan as a basis for coordination of the development of land with a long-range plan for roads.
A relatively new state law, Public Chapter 1101, also requires each county and its constituent cities and towns to prepare a “growth plan” designating urban growth boundaries, planned growth areas, and rural areas. This plan is legally binding on planning commissions and local governments. The Knoxville-Knox County-Farragut Growth Policy Plan has been effective since July 1, 2000.
At the local level, the Knoxville City Charter requires the preparation and annual review of a comprehensive plan for development of the city, with 5- and 15-year elements and an annual review process. Finally, both the city and county zoning ordinances require decisions on rezonings and development plan approvals to be consistent with the General Plan.
This plan was created through a citizen driven planning process. Although MPC staff coordinated the writing, illustration and production of the plan, much of the content was produced or inspired by “citizen planners” who participated in the General Plan project. The process started in the spring of 2001 with neighborhood workshops. Citizens were guided through a visioning process to provide the basic ideas for the foundation of the new plan. They answered a series of questions:
As an alternative to attending workshops, other citizens participated by filling out a survey via the Internet. Another source of inspiration was the database of over 8,000 individual ideas collected in 2000 by the Nine Counties One Vision regional planning group.
The participants’ ideas were recorded and grouped thematically for use in the next stage of the process. Working groups met during the summer of 2001 and drafted detailed vision statements, which included desired outcomes and implementation actions. Their work formed the core of the new plan.
The six working groups and their chairpersons were: Community Conservation and Revitalization, Sherry Young; Economic Vitality, Melissa Zeigler; Environmental Conservation and Rural Development, Patrice Cole; Mobility, Cindy Pionke; Parks and Community Facilities, Doug Bataille and Susan Kerr; Suburban Growth and Development, Annette Winston.
A coordinating committee consisting of the chair of each working group and staff facilitators refined the vision statements to reconcile inconsistencies and overlapping ideas. MPC staff presented the draft plan at a series of public meetings in the spring of 2002, inspiring further refinements and ideas which are included in the final draft presented for adoption to the Planning Commission, City Council and County Commission. Presentations on the final draft took place in the winter of 2003. Feedback from those presentations indicates widespread support among a variety of community interests.
The remainder of the plan includes:
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The vision represents a preferred future for Knoxville and Knox County. It is a statement of hope, confidence and optimism that Knoxville and Knox County will continue to be a great place to live and work in the future. Our vision is based on the belief that growth will continue to take place, and that this growth should provide opportunities for community development that will expand the options of future generations and not spoil the quality of life that we enjoy now.
The vision's focus is on what Knoxville and Knox County could be like thirty years from now, with a compact land use pattern, a vital downtown, pleasant residential neighborhoods and communities that are served by distinctive business districts and linked by inviting streetscapes, walkways and open lands. It presents a positive scenario in which today's development issues have been resolved and actions taken to seize opportunities for a better future.
Knoxville and Knox County are attractive places to live, work and play. Our growing economy provides good jobs and an expanded tax base. Well-located employment areas are a fundamental part of our image.
We are the cultural and economic center of a region extending from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Cumberlands. Highways, waterways, greenways and mass transit connect the 16 counties and numerous towns and cities in the region. Voluntary coordination of county growth management plans has resulted in a development pattern of compact cites, towns and villages, with substantial rural and wilderness open space preserves.
Our region has benefited from a cooperative approach to economic development and marketing and is competitive in the world economy.
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Photos: Top: Downtown Knoxville is the economic and cultural heart of the region.
Middle: Growth management provides a balance between urban development and rural area conservation.
Bottom: Knoxville's diverse economy enables growth in industry and commerce.
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Streets and highways are designed to encourage bicycling and walking, with safe and convenient paths to most destinations. The old-fashioned ‘walk around the neighborhood’ is possible, enhancing the cohesiveness of communities.
An improved roadway system provides safe and efficient travel with enhanced traffic management techniques and innovative roadway designs. Roadways include extensive landscaping and are integrated into the environment and the community.
The transit system provides efficient, frequent and direct services. People can walk or ride to transit stops, which are comfortable and convenient places to wait. More transportation choices and compact, sustainable communities have led to significant reductions in air pollution.
Photos: Top: Neighborhood streets are designed for people as well as cars.
Middle: Beauty, safety, and civic pride are elements of road design.
Bottom: Transit systems and recreation trails form connection throughout the county.
Neighborhoods are pedestrian-oriented, safe and convenient. Neighbors know each other and are involved in the community. Amenities are within walking distance, and character is maintained over many years.
Neighborhoods form well-defined, self-sufficient communities. Centrally located community facilities such as libraries, secondary schools, parks and town centers are accessible by foot, bike and transit, in addition to automobiles. Urban design techniques have been used to create memorable streetscapes and public spaces within the community.
Specialized districts provide shopping, entertainment, education, medical care, industry and other services. Some of the districts have a mixture of residential, commercial, office and entertainment uses.
Corridors provide a transportation network, recreation and open spaces. Natural corridors, including rivers, creeks and greenways, are among our foremost scenic and recreational amenities. These corridors are accessible to the public and connect neighborhoods.
Even roadway corridors have a distinct sense of place, created through landscaping and the design of adjacent buildings. Parking lots are present, but are not as apparent, since parking is behind buildings or broken up into small, landscaped modules. Signs are in scale with buildings and are either on buildings or low to the ground. The corridors contain a mix of uses, including residential, office, recreation space, institutions and employment centers.
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Photos: Top and Middle: Open spaces and sidewalks are found throughout neighborhoods, plazas, squares, and commons, providing a sense of place.
Bottom: Corridors, like the Neyland Greenway, are enhanced with public and private amenities.
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Using the regional greenway network, everyone can quickly and easily access nearby parks and recreational facilities. Parks, scenic vistas and historic resources are places for everyone to enjoy, including disabled persons. Areas with significant natural resources are conserved as protected open spaces. Residents also use the greenway network for commuting and shopping.
Greenways provide safe passage to schools and libraries as well. They are designed as environmental and educational corridors with interpretive signs that describe wildlife habitats, plant species and historical events. Many school grounds are integrated into parks and have become outdoor classrooms. These facilities serve as the foundation for neighborhood and community growth.
The City of Knoxville, Knox County and the utility districts of Knox County follow a plan of services. By planning upgrades, extensions, and future expansions of the utility infrastructure, development in Knox County has become orderly and more predictable.
Photos: Top: Parks are created to meet the needs of people of all ages.
Middle: Natural areas are conserved and become a source of outdoor enjoyment.
Bottom: Ridge and stream corridors form a regional open space system.
Rural communities are alive and well. Through the efforts of preservationists and land use planners, rural areas of the county have remained largely undeveloped. Large parcel farming, historic preservation, and the clustering of new land uses have prevented residential sprawl and helped to preserve the agrarian roots of Knox County.
We have improved environmental quality by preserving natural vegetation, increasing wildlife habitat, limiting development on slopes and promoting development patterns that reduce negative impacts on air quality.
Development in strategic watershed areas has been successfully limited and there has been an increase in water quality in all perennial streams within the county. By investing in watershed protection, Knox County has reduced storm water runoff, improved the quality of the remaining storm water runoff and increased capacity of the wastewater treatment system.
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Photos: Top: Portions of the rural area are reserved for future growth.
Middle: The best farmland in the county is conserved.
Bottom: Watersheds are protected and water quality is enhanced.
Residents in Knoxville’s oldest neighborhoods live in sound housing that has been renovated or maintained with respect to the original architecture. New development complements the character of early buildings in terms of scale, materials and setbacks. The tradition of providing front porches has been preserved, offering a means to enjoy the change in seasons and a chance to talk to passing neighbors. People of all ages, incomes and ethnicity enrich neighborhood life. Offices and apartments are above the village shops, adding to the vitality and security of the neighborhood. Sidewalks, which were once cracked or missing, are now repaired and extended throughout each neighborhood. Vacant lots and litter have not been apparent for years—a testimony to the success of infill housing and pride in the neighborhoods.
The suburbs that were created in the late 20th century provide well-maintained housing, schools and parks. These suburbs appear as if they were created within a park: the trees have been conserved and the nearby commercial areas are attractively landscaped. With a variety of new housing, different generations can find a nice place to live and older residents can remain in their neighborhood, close to friends and grandchildren.
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Photos: Top: Early 20th Century neighborhoods are conserved.
Middle: Vacant land in the central city has been reclaimed, resulting in housing and population growth.
Bottom: The landscape and heritage of the late 20th century continue to be well maintained.
Residents stroll along the tree-lined sidewalks of Broadway and Magnolia Avenue and older commercial corridors. People of all ages stop to browse in a boutique or dine in courtyard cafe. There are enough residents who live along the corridors and in the adjacent neighborhoods that transit service can be supported well into the evening, providing connections to work and entertainment downtown. With bike routes in place, people can commute to the workplace or shopping districts.
Commercial strips are still largely oriented to the automobile but have a renewed appearance, with more attractive landscaping and signage. Pedestrians and bicyclists can safely move along these corridors. Business owners have worked together to coordinate building and landscape design, shared parking and walkways between establishments.
The system of parks and greenway trails has been extended along the rivers, providing connections from the suburbs to downtown. New mixed use zoning districts often include housing along with shops, restaurants and offices in the same complex. Some older industrial buildings have been renovated and transformed into loft apartments and studio space. All buildings have been richly landscaped and easements provide connections to the trail system. The river is clean and the waterfront has truly become a place to live, work and play.
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Photos: Top: Public amenities are part of renewal as well as new development.
Middle: Renewed commercial strips are redesigned for pedestrians and a mix of uses.
Bottom: Old warehouses are also redesigned for mixed uses, including shops and apartments.
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Drawing courtesy of Kinsey Probasco and Ross Fowler
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In Market Square, people dine in the evening in an ambiance created by historic buildings and a canopy of trees. There are several more districts associated with downtown, including the Old City, Maplehurst and Summit Hill. Each has special character due to design guidelines that are used in the development and rehabilitation of property. Trees, shrubbery and flowers grace the open space along highways. Development has been allowed above portions of such freeways as the James White Parkway, and plazas around the new buildings provide pedestrians with safe, attractive connections between the neighborhoods and downtown.
While the number of downtown workers has doubled, the residential population has expanded twenty-fold with new lofts, upper floor condominiums and infill housing in adjoining neighborhoods. With new entertainment venues, housing and shops, people have a reason to stay downtown...and they do.
Photos: Top: The restored Market Square (Christopher Illustrations)
Middle: Outdoor dining and window shopping are enjoyed by masses who live downtown.
Bottom: Restored commercial structures are enjoyed by residents and tourists.
Improvements to Knoxville and Knox County are ongoing, fostered by a planning process that offers opportunities for everyone to participate in policy and implementation decisions. Public participation is an integral part of the process and turnout at public meetings is at an all time high.
The development review procedure is fair and predictable. Projects that meet published and adopted standards are consistently approved without unwarranted delay. Developments must meet standards designed to protect neighborhoods from unreasonable noise, traffic, visual blight or pollution. The standards require thoughtful, context-sensitive architecture and site planning. In exchange for meeting the development standards, developers are given considerable flexibility with regard to land use, density and site planning. Mixed uses and pedestrian-friendly development encounter few regulatory obstacles, providing they meet the design standards.
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Photos: Top: Citizens are involved in planning and design review.
Middle: New ordinances, like conservation subdivision regulations, protect the environment.
Bottom: Standards for water quality and tree protection have enhanced neighborhoods.
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During the public involvement process, the efforts of six separate working groups revealed common themes in several important areas. Their recommendations are summarized into ten major ideas referred to as the Agenda for Quality Growth. The section contains a well-illustrated set of principles and concepts to guide development.
The Agenda for Quality Growth encourages us to make good planning decisions now – while we have the opportunity, so that future generations will have better functioning communities and a wider range of options.
A sustainable economy that will provide good jobs, weather economic downturns and provide a high quality of life for the largest possible segment of our population is the foundation for quality growth.
Principles and Concepts:
Economic development requires investment in infrastructure. Initiatives should be undertaken as public/private partnerships, with public funds to ‘leverage’ private investments.
Economic development should be balanced across the county, with job opportunities created through development of new sites, redevelopment of older properties, and expansion of existing business.
Retention and expansion of existing businesses is essential.
Services necessary to support a healthy economy will include high quality job training and education, employment referral services, an efficient transportation system, and public services such as utilities and communications.
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Attractive employment areas enhance communities.
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The creation of new business parks is essential to economic growth.
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The Technology Corridor is significant to economic well-being.
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A well-trained workforce is a key objective for attracting new firms.
In the 21st century, transportation planning is not limited to roadways for private motor vehicles. Citizens need to be able to choose between driving, walking, biking and mass transit. We also need to be able to reduce the length of trips by locating basic shopping and services in or near neighborhoods.
Principles and Concepts:
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Older arterial streets, like Magnolia Avenue, should be revitalized. A mix of apartments, offices and ground level shops enhances the corridor.
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Various forms of transit are supported
by higher intensity uses, like apartments.
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Greenway trails should be created
along the beautiful corridors of the region.
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Neighborhoods should have sidewalks or walking trails.
We are in direct economic competition with other cities in the southeast, the nation and the world. To compete effectively, we need to leverage the potential of our extended regional market area and economy. Also, many of the problems that can inhibit quality growth—such as traffic congestion, air and water pollution, slow economic growth and loss of open space—can only be solved at the regional level.
Principles and Concepts:
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Ground level retail with upper story apartments and offices are a major focus in downtown revitalization.
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Downtown vitality helps solidify Knoxville's role as the regional capital.
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Restoration of historic assets is critical to maintaining a sense of place.
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Conventions and cultural facilities attract visitors from many states and countries.
One characteristic of sprawl development is that it is unstructured. An alternative is to recognize that the basic building block of a city, county or region is the neighborhood. Neighborhoods structured into coherent communities and tied together by special districts and corridors create more efficient and memorable places.
Neighborhoods should be laid out with convenience in mind, having schools, parks, shopping areas, restaurants and employment centers nearby.
Increased density and a mix of housing types will support neighborhood services, shops, public transit, and recreational opportunities.
Public facilities and good design will reinforce neighborhood identity.
New subdivisions should be designed as parts of future neighborhoods, including street and pedestrian connections.
A community should consist of a cluster of neighborhoods, with a population large enough to support a high school, sports complex and shopping centers.
Community facilities should be located along the edges of neighborhoods, near the center of the community or along major boulevards in mixed-use town center developments.
Civic buildings, town centers, parks and streets play major roles in defining the character and identity of the community. (boulevard illustration, street hierarchy)
Town centers, which can include shops, upper-story offices, housing and public facilities, will differ in scale and design depending on whether the community is rural or urban.
Highway connections between communities are provided by landscaped parkways.
Traditional neighborhood development: Although housing density is slightly greater, open space, amenities and sidewalk connections to schools and village centers are desired by many.
New subdivisions have interconnecting roads and common open space.
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Sidewalks and a variety of housing choices should be available in new neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods are created around a village center so people can walk to centrally located schools, parks and shops.
Apartments, townhouses and offices are located near the center, providing more retail customers and a transition to less intense housing.
Local roads are designed to save woodlands and other environmentally sensitive areas, sometimes using pairs of one-way roads. Developers can use narrower roads in exchange for such amenities as a sidewalk or greenway space.
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Communities should have multipurpose play areas and centrally located schools.
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A mix of commercial and residential should be created in villages or town centers.
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One characteristic of sprawl development is that it is unstructured. An alternative is to recognize that the basic building block of a city, county or region is the neighborhood. Neighborhoods structured into coherent communities and tied together by special districts and corridors create more efficient and memorable places.
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This community is surrounded by a greenway corridor.
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The university is planned to be a pedestrian oriented district.
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Greenways and linear parks form distinctive corridors.
Special Focus: Downtown as a District
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New housing in the downtown area helps overall revitalization.
Capital improvements, such as roads, parks, schools and libraries, should be targeted to create quality neighborhoods. The timing, character and location of these improvements should be carefully coordinated and concentrated to yield the "most bang for the buck."
Principles and Concepts:
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Public buildings, such as schools and libraries, are prominent.
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All residents should be within walking distance of a park.
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Park spaces should be set aside as part of community growth.
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Libraries and schools should be located and designed to instill civic pride.
Heritage resources are natural or man-made features that contribute to a distinctive sense of place. Good candidates for heritage areas should have natural, historic or related attributes and some unifying element such as a river, a roadway or an architectural theme. Heritage area initiatives focus on interrelated issues, such as landscape protection, historic preservation, economic development, environmental protection and preservation of community character. Some of the heritage resources that distinguish Knoxville and Knox County from other metropolitan areas include historic sites and districts, river and creek corridors, ridges, hills, scenic highways like Pellissippi Parkway and Governor John Sevier Highway and historic corridors like the French Broad River and Emory Road.
Principles and Concepts:
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By clustering housing, farms and open spaces can be conserved.
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Historic communities, like Concord, are a heritage resource.
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Prime farm land and ridges should be preserved.
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Historic neighborhoods should be preserved.
National public opinion polls regularly report that clean air and water are characteristics of the communities that Americans consider the most attractive places to live and work. Land development practices and transportation choices are among the locally controllable factors affecting water and air quality.
Principles and Concepts:
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The rivers and lakes form part of our heritage and should be protected.
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The rivers and lakes should be free of pollution.
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Clusters of housing can conserve natural features and reduce stormwater runoff.
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Natural vegetation along the French Broad is critical to its fine water quality.
A key part of the growth strategy is to redevelop blighted areas and "infill" on some of the remaining vacant land in the urbanized area. These areas are already served with roads, utilities, schools and shopping centers. For some of these older neighborhoods to remain viable, amenities and services must be upgraded. The preferred area for new suburban development should be vacant lands immediately adjacent to the existing built up area. Some of the other alternatives, such as prematurely "leapfrogging" out into rural areas, have significant, negative fiscal and environmental effects.
Principles and Concepts for neighborhoods:
Principles and concepts for commercial corridors:
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In some older neighborhoods, like Fort Sanders, well-designed additions and garage apartments are appropriate.
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Infill housing can complement historical architecture.
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Parks, street trees and landscaping
are essential to neighborhood vitality.
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The revitalization of older corridors can include shops
with apartments or offices in upper stories.
Large-scale new “greenfield” development should be structured into neighborhoods and communities that reduce the need for automobile travel, offer a mix of housing alternatives for all age and income groups and provide close to home shopping, services and recreation.
Developers should create walkable neighborhoods, providing a safe way to reach parks and schools.
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Village and town centers should include public spaces.
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A variety of housing should be part of each neighborhood.
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Wider sidewalks are essential
where higher density uses are developed.
Our zoning ordinances originated decades ago and some of the major provisions date back to the 1940s, when unincorporated Knox County was truly rural. The ordinances should be updated to provide incentives for development consistent with the quality growth vision expressed in this plan. Regulations should be well illustrated and guidelines should be available to illustrate concepts such as walkable neighborhoods, urban villages and open space subdivisions. Standards should be clear and it should be predictable that a project will be approved if it meets the standards.
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Shops are developed at sidewalk level with apartments and offices above.
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Natural vegetation is preserved in this subdivision.
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Illustrated guidelines foster good architectural design.
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Clustered housing preserves open space.
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| ACTION PROPOSALS | Develop a Strong Economy | Provide Transportation Choices for all Citizens | Build on Knoxville's Role as a Regional Capital | Understand the Building Blocks | Make Strategic Community Investments | Respect and Nurture Our Heritage Areas | Reclaim Our Rights to Clean Air and Water | Encourage Growth In the Existing Urban Area | Build Sustainable New Neighborhoods | Fair, Cost Effective, Predictable Development Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unified Development Ordinance | ||||||||||
| Street Standards | ||||||||||
| Site Planning Roundtable | ||||||||||
| Smart Trips | ||||||||||
| Gateway Corridor Enhancements | ||||||||||
| Early Action Compact | ||||||||||
| Sustainable Neighborhoods and Communities | ||||||||||
| Distinguished Business Districts | ||||||||||
| Develop Downtown/Civic Vision CBD | ||||||||||
| Historic Preservation | ||||||||||
| Natural Heritage | ||||||||||
| Infrastructure Coordination | ||||||||||
| Economic Development | ||||||||||
| Regional Initiatives | ||||||||||
| Continuous Public Involvement |
Note: Shaded cells represent Directly Responsive (dark) and Indirectly Responsive (light) relationships.
This list of projects was distilled from hundreds of separate suggestions received during the plan update process. Wherever possible, multiple suggestions have been combined into one strategic project. The list has been kept purposefully short, in order to focus on the implementation effort.
Most of these projects are major undertakings that will require many months or years to implement. The cooperation of a wide variety of stakeholders, including government, the development community, and neighborhood and business groups will be needed to accomplish these tasks.
Much of the content of our zoning ordinances was developed in another era, when Knoxville was surrounded by sparsely populated, rural county. During the general plan update process, staff received many suggestions about improving the development regulations. Reasons given for improving the regulations included:
It will probably be necessary to maintain separate ordinances for the City of Knoxville and Knox County, but they should be as similar as practically possible. Some of the major points of this proposal include the following actions:
Minimum standards for construction of roads are necessary to protect the safety of the public, minimize tax-funded maintenance costs, and promote convenient, efficient travel. Traffic engineers and planners have been coming to the realization that many cities have adopted well intended standards that actually add to the cost of development, result in more water pollution and flooding, and detract from pedestrian safety. Communities have seen the benefits of taking a closer look at traffic safety, the needs of pedestrians, and the impact of road standards on development costs. The following draft standards will be used as a starting point to develop improved designs for thoroughfares and residential streets, working with local government engineers, developers, designers, and citizens.
Residential Alley Utilities, either above or underground, may be located in alleyways to provide service connections to rear elevations. Generally 12 feet in width, additional pavement at alleyway intersections may be necessary to facilitate turns.
Features:
Lane Relatively short streets - two to six blocks long - that provide access to residences.
Features:
Street The basic residential street; a few early Knoxville streets are similar, improvements in the Mechanicsville Commons provide a recent example.
Features:
Avenue Avenues are medium speed connectors between a core area such as downtown and neighborhoods. Adjoining land uses can include a mix of residential, office and commercial uses, including a vertical mix of those uses within a building.
Features:
Design speed: 30 mph (maximum)
Posted speed: 25-30 mph
Right-of-way depends upon width of design features
Drainage: curb and gutter
Boulevard Can be used to provide connections through parts of the city. Adjoining land uses can include a variety of uses, including various residential types, commercial, office, and institutional uses.
Features:
Lanes: 11 feet with striped parking and bike lanes
Maximum of 4 travel lanes
Median width: 20 feet is recommended
Planting strips: 6 to 11 feet
Sidewalks: 5 to 8 feet, depending upon intensity of adjoining land use
Design speed: 40 mph (maximum)
Posted speed: 30-35 mph
Right-of-way: depends upon the width of design features
Drainage: curb and gutter
Parkway Parkways are designed to provide access through parts of a region, to be on the edges of a community, and to protect or enhance natural settings. They are designed to blend with the terrain.
Features:
Travel lanes: 11-12 feet
Median width: 30 feet is recommended minimum
Design speed: 50 mph (maximum)
Posted speed: 45 mph (maximum)
Right-of-way: depends upon width of design features
Drainage: swales allowed, or curb & gutter
Multi-use trails: 10-14 feet
Planting strips: 7-20 feet
Bike lane not adjacent to travel lane; multi-use trails may be on one or both sides
6 feet minimum paved shoulder on high-speed parkway (greater than 45 mph: typical section has shoulder with ditches)
The Knox County Engineering and Public Works Department, assisted by the Tennessee Valley Authority, has formed a broad coalition of interests to identify ways to substantially reduce water pollution and other environmental problems that can be unintended consequences of the development process. Using environmentally friendly development principles developed by the Center for Watershed Protection as a starting point, roundtable participants will advise the MPC and County Commission on changes in the development review process. Regulations will be suggested based on ability to achieve the reductions in water pollution as mandated by the federal government under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.
Reducing the number of miles traveled by motor vehicles is one of the best ways to improve air quality. The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) has initiated a regional Smart Trips Program to reduce traffic congestion and improve air
quality by reducing single-occupant vehicle trips. Smart Trips will encourage a balance of enhanced transportation choices and incentives to reduce automobile travel.
A main component of Smart Trips is the implementation of commute trip reduction (CTR) programs at individual worksites. Getting businesses involved in promoting transportation choices and implementing Smart Trips strategies is vital to the success of the Program. Smart Trips will also include a marketing/public information campaign describing the benefits of transportation choices and encouraging people to try another travel mode “once a week, or more if you want.”
Major streets such as Clinton Highway, Chapman Highway and Kingston Pike serve as major entry points to Knox County from surrounding counties. A major entry gives a first impression of a community, and the images along the street such as signs and landscape offer a lasting impression to a visitor. Improving these corridors to incorporate safety, accommodate pedestrian, bicycle and bus transportation with improved landscaping and access to adjacent businesses can greatly improve a community’s image.
MPC proposes to work with state and local governments, businesses and property owners on transforming our gateway corridors into a pleasant driving experience that enhances safety and economic development through the following objectives:
The Early Action Compact (EAC) will identify an air quality improvement plan for the Knoxville area that could result in a faster timeline for emission reductions and greater flexibility in selecting reduction measures. Several agencies will be involved in this effort, such as the Knox County Department of Air Quality Management, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Knoxville Regional TPO, Tennessee Department of Transportation, and local officials from Knox and other affected counties in the region. Close coordination among these agencies will be necessary in order to satisfy the strict requirements set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for EAC’s.
Although the Knoxville region is in attainment with the current ozone standard, it is expected to lose this status when new standards are enacted in 2004. The Knoxville EAC, if successful, will cause the effective date of the non-attainment designation to be deferred, which will help to avoid the stigma, cost and economic development impacts of non-attainment.
Sustainable Neighborhoods and Communities The character of neighborhoods and communities varies greatly, depending on their age, natural features, architecture, layout and community facilities. Strong neighborhoods – including older neighborhoods – tend to have a well conserved landscape, harmonious architecture, sound schools and well designed parks. These are elements that sustain communities. In conserving 20th century neighborhoods and developing new communities in this century, the following actions are proposed:
Distinctive Business Districts Business districts take several forms, including business or industrial parks, shopping centers, office parks, commercial corridors. Just as successful neighborhoods or towns have distinctive identities, successful business districts should have clearly defined boundaries, be well
organized, and should be pleasing, memorable destinations. Whether a business district is developed as a unit by one developer or evolves through the action of many business owners, attractive design, an efficient layout, and convenient transportation access are critical factors in developing sustainable centers for economic activity. Examples of business destinations with clear identities include downtown Knoxville, the Technology Corridor on Pellissippi Parkway, and the Homberg area in Bearden Village.
In order to provide expanded employment, shopping and entertainment opportunities, enhance the tax base and combat the decline and obsolescence of commercial areas, the following actions are proposed:
Developing Downtown: Civic Vision A series of guiding principles created by the Nine Counties One Vision downtown task force outlines interrelated ways in which downtown development can be maximized so as to create a more
vibrant downtown. These principles have been the basis of success in many other cities. The guiding principles have been circulated to the public as a draft document, generating broad support and enthusiasm. Within Downtown Knoxville, many opportunities exist for potential development, consistent with the guiding principles.
A downtown plan is now being developed by citizens, guided by an urban design consultant. Components of the plan will include:
To encourage growth in the existing urban areas of the City and County, conservation of historic and architectural resources is a logical place to start, since historic sites and buildings can create a marketable identity for neighborhoods and business districts. A growing body of research demonstrates that historic preservation results in faster than “market rate” appreciation of property values. Preservation also stimulates the tourism market.
In order to take advantage of the benefits of historic preservation and neighborhood conservation, the following actions are proposed:
Tree-covered ridges, pristine streams, woodlands and prime farmland are assets that are valued by Knox County residents. Citizens spoke about the conservation of these features time and again when developing this plan, noting that they form a natural heritage that should be protected or rehabilitated for the benefit of future generations.
Key proposals include:
Infrastructure Coordination Greater coordination of planning and construction of community facilities and infrastructure is needed, including schools, libraries, other public buildings, roads, and utilities. The development community should be included in this process, so that they can advise and inform the other participants of the issues and opportunities related to schools and infrastructure, as well as potential future trends in development.
Proposed actions include:
Economic Development A diversified economy is a key component of economic health and sustainability.
Economic development initiatives include:
The development of an inventory of critical employment sites throughout the county. Maintenance of this database will be coordinated between the MPC, the Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership and other appropriate agencies and groups.
The removal of development obstacles, by identifying necessary improvements in utility and transportation services and setting aside the land for future employment sites. This can be done by working with the local utility districts and the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization. Recommended improvements should be included in the city and county capital budgets as a way to provide needed infrastructure and public service upgrades.
The creation of a Brownfield Sites Coordinator in both city and county governments to oversee and facilitate the identification and cleanup of ‘brown-field’ and ‘gray-field’ sites for redevelopment.
Regional Initiatives Many of the problems facing Knoxville and Knox County are regional issues that do not respect political boundaries. Because regional governance is rare in America, successful resolution of regional issues often must rely on coalition building and voluntary cooperation. To create a more desirable region both now and in the future, a regional approach is needed for the following initiatives:
Providing open space and greenway trail connectivity. This includes connecting Knoxville and Knox County with other parts of the region by developing a continuous system of blueway and greenway trail corridors. Alignment should be determined by natural conditions and, when possible, by the availability of unused paths such as rails and power line easements.
Working together to maintain environmental quality. Efforts can include repairing, preserving and protecting the natural environment
by setting aside green, restorative settings and by promoting clean industry and communities that are not auto dependant.
Basing a transportation system on both roads and mass transit. Roads should effectively connect all parts of the region, and be of adequate capacity to handle reasonable traffic demands without creating unnecessary new demand. The regional transportation system should be designed not to conflict with core principles of building sustainable, viable, multi-use communities. The regional system should accommodate automobiles, public transit, public safety vehicles, freight, pedestrians, boats and bicycles in a balanced way to maximize access and mobility throughout the community.
Cooperating on economic development. The Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership along with the East Tennessee Economic Development Agency have identified opportunities to coordinate economic development initiatives on a regional basis.
For example, the Jobs Now! Campaign is a coordinated effort between ETEDA, the Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership, Oak Ridge and Blount Economic Partnerships to raise $10.75 million in local public and private funds for regional marketing initiatives and increase job creation, retention and recruitment in the region. The goal will be 35,000 new jobs in the next five years and $2.5 billion in new capital investment.
In another successful program called Technology Mining and Matching Program, the Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership is partnering with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to help industries in the region access the resources and services of the DOE Complex.
The aim is to enhance the economic wealth of the region by sharing technology, enhancing productivity, creating new products and solving technical problems. The program also supports the recruitment of new businesses considering the region. The major focus is on identifying and sharing manufacturing and engineering technologies, government user facilities, equipment and personnel.
The Knoxville Chamber also continues its existing industry program. With partners, they call on more than 200 companies in the area for the purpose of making resources in the community available to ensure the continued success of existing businesses.
Continuous Public Involvement Updating the elements of the General Plan is a continuous process requiring broad-based public participation. MPC will continue working to improve and enhance efforts to involve the public in all aspects of land use planning and decision making.
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The General Plan incorporates several other official plans, including sector plans, small area plans, the city and county greenway plans, the City of Knoxville’s One Year Plan, and the Knoxville Urban Area Transportation Plan. Each of these plans proposes many worthwhile actions or projects.
The General Plan presents broad, long range principles, concepts and policies that deal with a 525 square mile jurisdiction and a 30-year timeframe. The Planning Commission also develops and maintains a series of more specialized plans to provide specific guidance for plan implementation, community development and capital improvements programming. These fall into three categories:
Knoxville and Knox County are divided into twelve planning sectors for planning purposes. Fifteen-year sector plans emphasizing land use and capital projects are updated on a six-year cycle. These plans can also be amended by special studies requested by the Planning Commission or upon application by a property owner.
Closely related to the sector plans is the City of Knoxville One Year Plan. This is a land use plan with very specific land use recommendations, updated annually through a citizen participation process.
These plans are specific to one type of countywide system of facilities, such as roads or parks.
These plans address neighborhoods, districts or corridors. They are usually undertaken to address specific problems or opportunities. They are adopted as amendments to the sector plans and, generally, supersede some of the sector plan recommendations. Many of the small area plans are more detailed and more implementation minded than the broader policy plans.
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A sample of plans produced by MPC.
Incorporation of Plan Elements The following sector plans, facility plans and small area plans adopted by the Planning Commission, and all subsequent amendments or updates to these plans, are hereby incorporated into the General Plan.
Sector Plans (as amended) Central City Sector Plan, 1995 South City Sector Plan, 2002 East City Sector Plan, 2002 North City Sector Plan, 1998 Northwest City Sector Plan, 1997 West City Sector Plan, 1996 City of Knoxville One-Year Plan as Updated, 2002 South County Sector Plan, 2002 East County Sector Plan, 2001 Northeast County Sector Plan, 1997 North County Sector Plan, 1998 Northwest County Sector Plan, 1996 Southwest County Sector Plan, 1997
Facility Plans Knoxville Greenways and Community Trails Commission Report, 1992 Cultural Resources Plan, 1994 Major Road Plan, 1996 Knox County Greenway Plan, 1994 Knox County Park and Recreation Facility Plan, 1998 Wireless Communications Facilities Plan, 2002 City of Knoxville Street Tree Master Plan, 2003
Small Area Plans Downtown Knoxville Plan, 1987 Report of the Mayor’s Waterfront Task Force, 1989 Downtown Knoxville Parking Study, 1990 Technology Corridor Comprehensive Development Plan Update, 1992 Five Points Small Area Plan, 1993 Vestal Bicentennial Neighborhood Plan, 1997 Old City Master Plan, 1997 Fort Sanders Neighborhood Plan, 2000 Bearden Village Opportunities Plan, 2001
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This section consists of the planning framework, development components that serve as the basic building blocks of the General Plan, and the Land Use Plan.
The Planning Framework map, Exhibit 1, identifies preferred areas for development, revitalization and conservation, based on environmental features and development patterns. The following land categories are shown:
Land in Knox County can be classified into these types, based on environmental features and development patterns.
Rural Conservation River and Stream Corridors Ridges and Steep Slopes
Future Development Agricultural/Growth Reserve Future Development Areas (through 2022)
Substantially Developed Post-1945 Suburban Neighborhoods Pre-1945 Suburban Neighborhoods Urban Neighborhoods Existing Special Use Districts Downtown
The basic building blocks used in this plan are:
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The basic building blocks used in the General Plan are:
The Neighborhood Neighborhoods are the most basic physical and social units of the city and the region. Neighborhood unit concepts are shown in Exhibits 2 and 3.
The Community A community consists of enough neighborhoods to support shared services and facilities, such as a high school, a twenty to forty acre community park, and a community shopping area.
The District A district is a developed area devoted primarily to one function, such as the University district, the Technology Corridor, or the Homberg shopping/dining district in Bearden.
The Corridor Corridors can take one of two forms: development corridors, consisting of linear, mixed use development along a transportation route, or resource corridors, primarily open space along rivers, streams, ridgelines or rural roads.
The Region Knoxville is the cultural, economic and governmental center of a 16 county area with over 1,000,000 residents. This area corresponds to the boundaries of the East Tennessee Development District.
These components are connected and unified by the following public realm elements:
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Exhibit 2: Diagram for Neighborhood Development
In the early 20th Century concepts for neighborhood development were conceived that placed schools within walking distance, commercial development at major intersections, and public open spaces throughout neighborhoods.
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Exhibit 3: Local Example of Neighborhood Concepts
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Neighborhood Amenities
Neighborhood Center
Neighborhood design concepts were used in the Knoxville area in creating Sequoyah Hills and Norris. The worthwhile nature of such development is apparent today. Those communities are over 70 years old and are remarkably stable. The map and photographs on this page are from Sequoyah Hills.
Map Sequoyah Hills: the roads and open spaces were matched to the rolling terrain and river
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Well designed open spaces were created.
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A variety of housing opportunities were provided.
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The elementary school was located near the heart of the neighborhood.
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The neighborhood center included shops and churches, and was surrounded by apartments.
Land Use Plan
Exhibit 5 consists of the Land Use Plan maps from each of the 12 adopted sector plans. This map is amended by the periodic updates of the sector plans. The plan may also be amended in response to applications from property owners. Plan amendment applications are usually filed in conjunction with rezoning applications. Changes to the Land Use Plan should be consistent with the policies in the General Plan.
Tennessee State law (public chapter 1101) requires that local land use decisions must comply with the Knoxville-Knox County-Farragut Growth Policy Plan. The General Plan is linked to the Growth Policy Plan in at least two ways:
Interpreting the Land Use Plan In most cases, the land use recommendations of the sector plans are specific enough to provide clear guidance. That is not always true, however, due to the fact that the maps are usually not intended to provide a parcel by parcel land use recommendation. The following are guidelines to interpretations of the land use plan:
Transition Areas The policies in this plan include provisions for ‘transition areas’ to avoid abrupt differences in adjoining zonings (from highway commercial to single family residential, for example). It is not practical to show transition areas at every boundary between residential and commercial districts. The transitional zoning policies would support office or medium density residential zoning in an area shown as single family residential abutting a commercial or other intense district.
Uncertainty as to Boundaries When boundaries of land use designations appear to coincide with fixed, verifiable features, such as streams, lot lines, flood plains or roads, these features shall be presumed to be the zoning boundary. Otherwise the boundaries may be measured according to the scale of the map.
Logical Extensions of Existing Zoning or Development Patterns The Planning Commission may find that a particular rezoning or plan amendment is approvable because it is a logical extension of an existing boundary. To be considered a logical extension, the rezoning should be consistent with the policies of the plan, should not violate clear physical boundaries intentionally depicted on the plan map, such as a road, a stream, or a ridge line, and should be smaller than the area being extended.
Rezoning is Premature Based on Inadequate Public Facilities The Sector Plan’s recommendation for development are usually based on the idea that roads, utilities, drainage and other community
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Town of Farragut
facilities are adequate to support growth, or can be brought up to standards within a reasonable time. Severe deficiencies justify delay of implementation of the plan's land use proposals. It is often possible to approve developments subject to bringing the facilities up to standard by some specified date.
Changes of Conditions Warranting Amendment of the Land Use Plan Usually, conditions that have changed sufficiently to warrant a rezoning contrary to the plan's recommendation should result in an amendment to the land use map. Administrative procedures are in place to allow the Planning Commission to recommend minor plan amendments accompanied by rezoning applications. The Planning Commission reserves the authority to recommend land use plan changes based on substantially changed conditions. Substantially changed conditions include:
Updating the Plan To remain effective, comprehensive plans must be periodically updated and amended. The Planning Commission will determine the actual schedule for major updates through annual adoption of the MPC Work Program. The Planning Commission, City Council or County Commission may also direct the MPC staff to update all or part of any plan as the need arises. This will also provide an opportunity to add new projects to MPC's work program in response to changing conditions.
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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.
1.9 Identify and recruit businesses and industries which can benefit from the Technology Corridor's access to freeways, the airport, Pellissippi State Technical Community College and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
1.10 Assist local firms that want to expand their business into international markets.
1.11 Reserve an adequate supply of large sites for industrial growth.
1.12 Use zoning and land acquisition to protect areas reserved for industry from encroachment by residential development.
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.
3.1 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.
4.1 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.
Development Policies
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.
5.4 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.
8.12 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
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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. 9.9 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. 9.11 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.
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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.
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This situation, while better than the one at left, can cause visual and noise conflicts, which can be reduced by landscaping or other buffers.
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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.
11.3 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.)
Exhibit 7: Gradual Zoning Transitions
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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.
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
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KNOXVILLE·KNOX COUNTY M P C METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION T E N N E S S E E Suite 403 • City County Building 400 Main Street Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 8 6 5 • 2 1 5 • 2 5 0 0 F A X • 2 1 5 • 2 0 6 8 w w w • k n o x m p c • o r g