The Knoxville Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission meets at
1:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. (View
meeting schedule) Business is conducted in the order of the
agenda; extra copies
are available in the lobby area outside the Large Assembly Room. The
agenda usually is stapled to a colored sheet titled “Planning Focus”
which highlights an important development issue or some aspect of MPC.
About the Agenda
Typical agenda items include requests for rezonings,
use on reviews, subdivisions,
and plan amendments. MPC staff have
researched and studied these proposals and have written recommendations
based on the General Plan, other adopted plans and studies, and requirements
of the city and county zoning ordinances.
After considering the staff recommendations and the information given
by applicants and citizens at the meeting, the Planning Commission will
vote to approve, deny, postpone, or table these items. They also can
vote to let an item be withdrawn from consideration.
Other items that may be considered from time to time are street
and alley closures, special planning studies and reports, and
code amendments.
Postponements and withdrawals requested prior to this meeting are posted
on the glass doors of the Large Assembly Room. This list is amended
when additional postponements and withdrawals are considered at the
beginning of each meeting.
Finding Your Item
If you need assistance in finding your item on the agenda, feel free
to ask for help from the MPC staff members attending the meeting. They
usually sit at either end of the horseshoe-shaped table nearest the
audience.
Speaking at the Meeting
The MPC chair will call for public comments after reading the staff
recommendation on an item. You do not have to sign up to speak at the
meeting. Persons either in favor or in opposition of a proposal have
a total of five minutes per side to make their case. Groups should select
a spokesperson, and that person should be sure to recognize the citizens
represented there. It’s a good idea for the members of a group to stand
up at this time. It’s also important for a spokesperson to mention any
documents or letters previously mailed to the commissioners so this
material is made part of the record. Additional material may be submitted
at the meeting. Speakers should limit their remarks to the facts of
the case and avoid repeating comments already made.
“Consent” items are marked
on the agenda with an asterisk and are heard together at the beginning
of the meeting. Cases are placed on the consent agenda when they are:
1) consistent with adopted plans, 2) recommended by staff approval as
submitted by the applicant, and 3) there is no known opposition prior
to the meeting. If you object to one of these, say so immediately after
the consent agenda is read and the item will then be removed from the
consent list and heard separately at its regular place in the appropriate
agenda section.
Final Decisions
MPC is an advisory body and forwards its recommendations to the City
Council or County Commission, which make final decisions for MPC items
on their agendas. The City Council meets at 7 p.m. every other Tuesday,
while the County Commission considers MPC items at 6 p.m. on the fourth
Monday of every month.