Historic Zoning Commission

Ramsey House H: Level III

10-B-23-HZ

Applicant Request

Applicant is initiating the process to remove the HZ overlay on an approximately 5.77-acre parcel at the intersection of E. Gov. John Sevier Highway and Thorn Grove Pike. The parcel has an HZ overlay associated with the Ramsey House.

Site Info

5.77-acre vacant parcel originally associated with the Historic Ramsey House.

1. The Ramsey House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and received a historic (HZ) overlay in 1988.

2. Review of the HZ overlay's removal by the Historic Zoning Commission is the first step in the process. The County HZC is charged with providing a recommendation to the Planning Commission to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the removal of the overlay. The Planning Commission is the body which will vote on the overlay's removal, along with any additional zoning changes. The HZC's purview is to evaluate how removing the historic overlay would affect the integrity of the Ramsey House overall (see Exhibit E: Definition of integrity).

3. The property is currently zoned A (agricultural). Per Section 5.80.01 of the Knox County Zoning Code, the HZ overlay does not regulate uses and does not prohibit development on the site. The HZ overlay is intended to "designate areas and structures of sufficient historical and cultural significance to warrant public protection" and "require that new construction ... be appropriate to their character."

4. Section 5.80.05 of the HZ code notes that "the historic zoning commission may recommend establishing a zone boundary around structures warranting public protection which includes adjoining property having a conspicuous visual relationship to the historic structure and which boundary may extend up to one-quarter mile from the property line of the land pertaining to any such historic structure." The zone boundary was not specifically referenced in the 1988 rezoning but is relevant to the discussion.

5. In 2014, the Historic Ramsey House board subdivided approximately 9.11 acres on the west side of the property into one 5.77-acre parcel and one 3.34-acre parcel (see Exhibit C, 2014 plat). The Historic Zoning Commission reviewed the removal of the overlay on the 3.34-acre parcel in April 2014 (see Exhibit D, HZC Minutes). The HZC recommended the HZ overlay be removed on the 3.34 parcel.

6. In May 2014, the Planning Commission reviewed the parcel's rezoning request from A/HZ to CA (General Business). Instead of the CA zoning, the Planning Commission approved PC (Planned Commercial) zoning, "because of the site's proximity to the Ramsey House and grounds" and because PC Zoning would allow the Planning Commission "to review a development plan for the site, at which time staff may recommend appropriate landscaping, lighting, access, and signage in order to remain compatible and functional with the Ramsey House property." The Planning Commission also removed the HZ overlay at this meeting. The site was ultimately developed by the buyer/current owner/seller of the parcel in question for a Dollar General. (See Exhibit F: Rezoning report)

7. The applicant for the HZ removal and the rezoning in 2014 was the APTA/Ramsey House. In 2014, the Ramsey House Board and APTA (Association for Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities) supported the removal of the HZ overlay and the rezoning request, as they were selling the property. The applicant for HZ removal in 2023 is the potential buyer of the property. Per a letter from the Historic Ramsey House current staff and Board of Directors, the Ramsey House does not support the removal of the HZ overlay.

8. There are no historic structures on the site. There is a 50' stream buffer on the east side of the parcel, along with a 3,441 sq. ft. recorded wetland area on the adjacent 3.34 acre parcel, at the center of the overall site. Per the 2014 HZC review, no archaeological resources have been found on the site, though details of any archaeological surveys were not submitted.

9. The NPS defines integrity by seven aspects, including setting (the character of the place where the historic resource is located, including natural and manmade features such as vegetation, open space, and viewsheds); feeling (surviving physical features that express the site's historic character and help the visitor experience an awareness of its history); and association (the relationship between a historic event or person and the property, which "can occur only if the property's historic physical features, or character, survive"). [See Exhibit E: National Register 101: Seven Aspects of Integrity]

10. The HZC should determine if the parcel in question contributes to the setting, feeling, and association of the overall Ramsey House property. In the opinion of staff, the 2014 rezoning to PC and the development of the 3.34 acre parcel at the southwest corner of the property to a Dollar General detracts from the overall integrity of the Ramsey House, which was originally a large agricultural and residential property, with land both cleared and covered with trees. At present day, the existing vegetation buffer does provide a visual buffer between the Ramsey House property and development fronting E. Governor John Sevier Highway, though site clearing and additional impervious surface may affect the adjoining vegetation and wetlands.

11. At the date of the agenda posting (10/11/2023), the applicant and the Ramsey House Board have not actively communicated. Some compromise may be possible to retain the HZ overlay on the rear portion of the parcel, which features the wetlands and stream buffer and adjoins the Ramsey House property.